DIMAPUR, Jan 18 – Normal life in Nagaland’s commercial hub Dimapur and State capital Kohima and also Naga areas in Manipur were affected due to a 12 hour bandh called by the NSCN-IM in protest against the move of New Delhi that prevented the outfit’s chairman Isak Chisi Swu and general secretary Th Muivah from visiting Zunheboto on Saturday last.
Convenor of the NSCN-IM Steering Committee VS Atem said the bandh ended at 6 pm today in ‘Nagalim’, meaning in all the ‘Naga areas’.
All the business establishments in Dimapur were shut during the bandh hours today. In Kohima, the severity of the bandh was strong. No shops were open in Kohima. However, vehicles were plying as usual in Dimapur and Kohima.
In Senapati, shops were closed since this morning. Reports received from the district headqurters said that more or less all the shops were shut. Similar reports were also received from the district headqurters of Ukhrul, Tamenglong and Chandel.
On January 14, Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu were on their way to Zunheboto from their camp Hebron in an entourage of about 70 vehicles but were stopped by the Assam Rifles at Bade village. They were asked not to go ahead with their visit without obtaining a permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Later the same day, the Ministry reportedly allowed Muivah and Swu to visit Zunheboto but with certain conditions.
One condition was that they will travel without weapons. The second was that personal security guards shall not carry weapons even in concealed manner. The third rerstricted the number of vehicles to twenty and the NSCN-IM leaders will not hold any public meeting or press conference.