The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) has slammed the Officer Commanding, Wakka COB, 44 Assam Rifles, for serving ‘information’ to all village heads of Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh, advising against recruitment by various outfits in their respective villages.

The information issued by the OC on 15 January 2025 stated, “There should be no recruitment of men by NSCN(IM), NSCN(KYA), NSCN(Reble) and ULFA-I in your respective villages. Any information of such activity shall be informed to ‘D’ Coy ‘Wakka COB’, 44 Assam Rifles at the earliest. If any recruitment takes place in your respective villages and you withheld the info or allowed such activities to be carried out you will be liable to legal action.”

In response, the NSCN-IM has said that the OC’s notification has nothing to do with the Ceasefire Ground Rules as agreed with the Government of India. It stated that the main concern of GoI is forced recruitment, which the NSCN maintained it does not practice.

The group also said that the information issued by the OC is “absolutely disgusting and disgraceful for the Nagas of Arunachal in particular and for the whole Nagas in general.” For the NSCN spearheading the movement to defend the historical and political rights of the Naga nation, this matter is an affront to the dignity of the Nagas, it added.

Further, the NSCN-IM said informing village heads on recruitment is not within the purview of the OC and advised him to “stay away from such issue in the future.”