The Global Naga Forum (GNF), the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples’ Organisation (UNPO) and NSCN-IM has condemned the recent harassment of Neingulo Krome, Secretary General of the Naga people’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), who was detained on April 7 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi while en route to Kathmandu, Nepal, and sent back to Nagaland

According to GNF, Krome was travelling to Kathmandu to attend a meeting organized by the Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Pact (AIPP). This was not the first time Krome was denied the right to travel abroad and sent back home. On February 5, 2020, he was forcefully returned to Nagaland from the airport in Kolkata while travelling to Bangkok for a meeting.

“On both occasions, the vague justification the Indian authorities gave for denying him the right to travel was a blunt, “You cannot travel.”,” stated the GNF in a press release issued on April 15.

Standing in solidarity with Neingulo Krome for his right to travel abroad, the GNF cited the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling in the 1960s which assured that the right to travel abroad is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, and the government cannot invalidate the right without a proper procedure established by law.

““You cannot travel” as an explanation for taking away a person’s right to travel is not a valid procedure under Indian or international law. Such arbitrary and illegal exercise of power by Indian authorities demands outright condemnation by everyone who believes in human rights and the rule of law. The injustice must be addressed forthwith,” stated the GNF.

Appealing the Indian government to immediately remedy the serious violation of India’s constitutional guarantee, the Forum argued that Krome’s right to travel freely to countries where lawful travel restrictions are not in place for the public must be restored without delay.

“What the Indian government is doing to him is part of a persistent decades-long attempt to silence the voice of the indigenous Naga people for dignity and political self-determination in their ancestral homeland; it is a deliberate effort to delegitimize their participation and rightful place in democratic global forums. The fact that this history of blatant injustice against the Naga people has gone on for over seven decades makes the Indian government’s breach of national and international obligations all the more inexcusable,” asserted the Forum.

India’s autocratic and illegal dismissal of Krome’s right to travel abroad, according to GNF, is related to the wider restrictions imposed on the Naga people’s right to freedom of movement in their own homeland, which straddles the India-Myanmar border.

“By deporting Mr. Krome, India has sent a chilling message to all indigenous leaders: dissent will not be tolerated, and indigenous voices will be silenced.

Democratic civil society organizations like the Global Naga Forum and others are not going to be silenced. We call upon the government of India to restore Mr. Krome’s right to travel abroad and the right to return to Nagaland. We wonder when, if ever, the Government of India will issue a formal apology to the Naga people for its gross violations of their rights for nearly eighty years,” stated the GNF.

It appealed to the international community like the UNPFII and the UNPO to hold India accountable and demand that India respect its obligations under the UNDRIP and the UNDHR. It also called upon the democratic and just minded people of India and the world to stand in this fight for justice, dignity, and self-determination.

Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play

UNPO

Condemning the incident, the UNPO stated that it is a serious infringement on fundamental rights and a reflection of the broader, systemic clampdown on human rights defenders and civil society actors in India, including those representing indigenous and minority communities such as the Naga people.

According to the UNPO, the restriction of Krome’s movement raises serious concerns about the state of civic space and democratic engagement in India.

“In recent years, there has been a marked intensification of legal and administrative measures affecting non-governmental organizations, community leaders, and human rights defenders. These include the use of counter-terrorism legislation, limitations on foreign funding under the Foreign Contribution Act, crackdowns on human right defenders. The cumulative effect of these measures has been to curtail the capacity of civil society actors to participate meaningfully in domestic and international dialogue,” highlighted the organisation.

Within this broader context, UNPO added, the targeting of Naga individuals and institutions stands out as a particular area of concern.

“These recent restrictions on civil society figures, such as Mr. Krome, are taking place at a time when confidence-building between negotiating parties and the Naga population remains fragile. In this context, actions that inhibit open engagement and obstruct the participation of Naga civil society actors in regional and international forums risk undermining the conditions necessary for durable political resolution. The exclusion and silencing of Naga voices has wider ramifications for trust in the negotiation process and the credibility of institutions tasked with finalizing the implementation of the 2015 Framework Agreement,” stated the UNPO.

NSCN-IM

“The travel restrictions imposed on Mr.Neingulo Krome, Secretary General of the Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) by the Indian immigration authorities, has once again exposed India’s suppressive and oppressive nature targeting the Naga indigenous peoples from going outside India to interact with the other indigenous peoples of Asia. This is the harsh reality the Nagas are made to go through time and again as the government authority continues violating their human rights.  No doubt, Government of India is desperately trying to drive the Nagas to the point to stop them from rightfully propagating themselves as a distinct people with their own historical and political identity,” stated the NSCN-IM in a condemnation issued today.

It further added: “The irony is, India has been caught standing on the wrong side of democracy where its claims as the largest democracy is falling apart when measured by the democratic principles to give equal treatment to the citizens, including the indigenous peoples. India today is thus, no longer the world’s largest democracy.”

Extending solidarity with Krome, the NSCN-IM expresses its indignation against the government of India for targeting Krome, whose name is “synonymous with the voice of the Naga people’s fight for human rights that concerns the historical and political rights of the Nagas”.