The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has strongly objected to the setting up of the ‘Indian Army Morung’ at the Heritage Village in Kisama, the venue for the annual Hornbill Festival. It is not only “insensitive but also a direct affront to the established cultural norms of the Naga people”, the apex student body said in a press release.

NSF repeated its long-standing demand for the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland that gives the Indian armed forces sweeping powers and immunity from being held accountable despite committing heinous human rights violations, the Oting incident being the most recent.

“The scars left by these events are still fresh, and the wounds remain open”, NSF President Medovi Rhi and General Secretary Chumben Khuvung stated in the statement.

The Naga Students’ Federation further appealed to the Indian Government to “immediately initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible for the 2021 Oting massacre as an essential step towards justice and healing.”

NSF also slammed the departments for allocating the site to the Indian Army to build its morung “without due regard of the cultural appropriation and insensitivity to the deeply rooted traditions and values of the Naga people.” Furthermore, the Federation has also objected to the use of the word ‘morung’ by the Indian Army demanded for its replacement “to respect the sentiments of the Naga community.”

The Indian Army Morung was inaugurated on 1st December as a tribute to the valiant soldiers and outstanding sportspersons from Nagaland. The morung has a special dedicated corner in memory of Martyr Captain N Kenguruse, MVC (Posthumous).