๐ก๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The Naga Students’ Federation has thrown its weight behind Nagaland’s controversial enumeration exercise, characterising it as essential for protecting residents’ rights and addressing what it describes as unchecked illegal entry into the state.
The exercise aims to identify residents who settled in Nagaland before December 1, 1963, and their direct descendantsโa criterion designed to establish eligibility for state-specific benefits and privileges.
However, the initiative faces significant resistance. The NSF expressed concern that four concerned tribes are refusing to participate in the process, raising questions about the enumeration’s legitimacy and reception across the state.
“The exercise must not be seen as a divisive or discriminatory act, but as a necessary step toward clarity, fairness and administrative integrity,” the federation stated.
According to the NSF, illegal migration presents a mounting challenge. The organisation claims that non-Nagas continue entering the state illegally and have obtained official state-recognised certificates while accessing quotas and privileges designated exclusively for inhabitants.
The federation has called for stricter enforcement of the Inner Line Regulationโa colonial-era law restricting land ownership and residency rightsโand enhanced border vigilance to prevent unauthorised entry.
The NSF also addressed criticism directed at the Inner Line Regulation Commission, the body overseeing the enumeration. Some political observers have dismissed the commission as merely a committee, but the NSF defended its legitimacy.
“The ILRC was constituted by the highest decision-making authority of the Naga Students’ Federation, the Federal Assembly, and carries the collective mandate of all the federating units of NSF,” the organisation stated.
The federation emphasised that the commission emerged from decades of institutional experience and constitutional guidance, citing persistent failures in implementing migration restrictions.
The NSF called for unity and restraint from political actors, warning against statements that could divide Nagaland at a critical moment.
