Kohima: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) issued a public statement on Sunday in relation to the dispute surrounding the Naga Club building in Kohima.
According to the NSF, a newly formed Naga Club by “some individuals” has not only made claims to the ownership of the Naga Club building in Kohima but has also issued eviction orders to the NSF.
The NSF published a part of the eviction notice handed out to them, which thus reads: “That your esteemed organization has paid RS 500/- (five hundred only), in rent for the month of April 1983 on 07.04.1983, after which you have never paid our Naga Club house rent from May 1983 till date.”
The NSF then goes on to question how they could pay rent from May 1983 up to the present to an organization that was recently formed – “only in 2017/18”.
The statement further details the events leading to the procurement of the Naga Club building in 1983 which at that time was under the Forest Department: “It may be noted that in 1983 Late Vizolie Sorhie the then President NSF and his General Secretary Eno. Imkong L. Imchen among other officials, were approached by Naga Club officer bearers and Naga Elders Conference to reclaim the Naga Club building which was then occupied by the Forest Department…the Department still refused to hand over the building to the rightful owner- the Naga Club.”
The refusal of the Forest Department led the NSF to break the lock of the Naga Club building and relocate their office to the building.
The statement also points out that in April 1983, the NSF paid the monthly rent to “the General Secretary of the then Naga Club, Late. Vilavor Liegise” which was undertaken “with the good consent of mutual understanding” that allowed Naga Club to be recognised as the owner of the building. At that time, the building was claimed by yet another group – “in the name of another Naga Club” – and the case was taken to the court of the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima.
As the statement further explains: “this receipt of Rs 500/- for the month of April 1983, paid by NSF became evident of proof and the court ruled in favour of the Naga Club, which was never contested again. Otherwise, there was “mutual understanding” that the Building will always belong to the Naga Club and NSF will only be the guardian and custodian of the building according the demands of situations.”
The NSF believes that the formation of the new Naga Club in 2018 and the recent building eviction notice handed by the said club are activities influenced by “ulterior motives”. As the statement alleges: “When the Naga Students’ Federation decided to celebrate ‘100 Years of Naga Club’ in 2018…this Naga Club was formed suddenly to hijack our celebration”.
The statement further continues: “This time around, as the NSF recently launched the celebration of its 75 Years of Existence, under the theme ‘Call to Oneness’ for all Nagas to come together, this same Naga Club is now issuing ‘Notice to vacate the Naga Club building in toto on or before the 27th of August 2022’, in the middle of our 75 years celebration, which is turning our ‘celebration’ into ‘nightmare’.”
The NSF ended the public statement by appending a statement titled “NSF and the Naga Club as we know” written by all the former NSF presidents from 1983 to 2017.
A PUBLIC STATEMENT ON NAGA CLUB BUILDING
