Mon Tragedy: Several tribes withdraw from Hornbill Festival
Guwahati: Following the deaths at the Oting incident in Nagaland’s Mon district where at least 16 people lost their lives, several tribes from the state withdrew from the ongoingHornbill Festival.
According to reports, at least seven tribal bodies including the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), Konyak, Ao, Sema, Angami, etc are demanding to stop the popular Hornbill festival which has been started from December, 1.
Nagaland residents are also boycotting the Hornbill Festival 2021, which is currently taking place in Kisama, near the state capital of Kohima, and have erected black flags in the Hornbill site. Following the killings, some people have demanded that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) of 1958, which gives the Indian Armed Forces special powers to maintain public order in “disturbed areas,” be repealed immediately.
It may be mentioned that the Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio raced from the national capital, New Delhi, and arrived in his home state on Sunday evening, according to sources. He’ll almost certainly call an emergency meeting of the state Cabinet. State Minister Paiwang Konyak also arrived at the location to assess the situation.