The Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong, apex body of Tangkhul students, said the festival embodies peace, ecological consciousness and cultural pride amid a state long affected by ethnic unrest.“It is, therefore, an act of grave provocation that individuals, reportedly affiliated with the Arambai Tenggol, specifically a faction identifying itself as the Cobra Team – Unit 58, hoisted the Meitei flag…” the student body said.It viewed this “deliberate political symbolism,” carried out in Tangkhul territory, as nothing short of an attempt to disrupt peace and the neutral stand of the Nagas in the conflict.“We will not tolerate any attempt to politicise our sacred spaces or challenge the historical and cultural ownership of our land,” the organisation said. The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) said Arambai Tenggol courted a controversy on the joyous occasion with an unfounded narrative. The NSCN-IM said the “Salai Taret” flag has no connection with the Tangkhuls in any manner; culturally, historically or politically. “Thus, Arambai Tenggol has once again proved themselves as nothing but a bunch of ‘war-mongers’ provoking the nerves of the peace-loving Tangkhuls,” the outfit said. It demanded an unqualified apology within 48 hours from the Meitei radical group for its “unwarranted” intrusion at Shirui peak and “hoisting” the flag in an area “that is far from their socio-religious jurisdiction.”
Source link
