The Dimapur Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Frontal Business Organization (FBO) spearheaded the protest, which saw hundreds of businessmen gathering at Deluxe Point in the morning holding placards and banners, seeking immediate action to stop such attacks. They marched to the residence of the deputy commissioner, Maongwati Aier, and submitted a memorandum addressed to CM Neiphiu Rio.
In the memorandum, DCCI president Hokivi Chishi said the traders of Dimapur have been reeling under extortion threats from anti-socials, "who terrorize us in the name of various factions".
He added, "The business community has also been paying 'taxes' to various underground organizations. However, the traders continue to be burdened with more taxes. There seems to be no respite despite meeting demands of all groups."
Highlighting the recent grenade attack in the 3rd Mile area, Chishi said, "This was a rude shock to the business community, which has to bear the brunt of the crisis. The incident has created a fear psychosis in the minds of people in general and the traders in particular, he added. The DCCI urged the chief minister to take appropriate measures to ensure that the businessmen were secured from various anti-socials, "who vitiate normal business activities through such acts of violence".
The memorandum urged the state government to arrest the culprits and punish at the earliest. "If the district administration and police fail to take immediate action, the DCCI will have to go ahead with its own programmes of protests in order to safeguard interests of the business community and also peo ple of the state," it stated.
Aier, who received a copy of the memorandum, assured the DCCI members that the administration would leave no stone unturned to nab the culprits. He also said the culprits have already been identified as some NSCN (K) rebels. He added that steps had being taken to arrest the culprits.
The blast had brought to the fore the rift within the NSCN(K) with the faction led by S S Khaplang,accused the breakaway Khole-Kitovi faction of carrying out the attack. The Nagaland government has announced an ex gratia of Rs one lakh for the person killed and Rs 50,000 each for those injured in the explosion.