New Delhi: A photograph of Nagaland rebel leader Bohoto Kiba’s son and his bride flaunting assault rifles at their wedding reception has created a major controversy, at a time when the state’s insurgent groups are negotiating a peace deal with the central government.
Guests who attended the reception were shocked, with some even saying they didn’t want peace in Nagaland to be disturbed.
Kiba is a top leader of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Unification (NSCN-U) — a rebel outfit that wants Nagaland to be a sovereign state.
At the reception, which was held on 9 November at Dimapur’s 5th Mile, the groom is seen holding an AK-56, while the bride holds an M4 with her finger on the trigger.
“They took the guns out when most of the guests were preparing to leave…during a photo session. People got alarmed the minute they took the rifles out,” a guest at the wedding told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.
“What they did is too much, it disturbs the law and order in the state, especially with the Naga peace talks finally coming to an end.”
Another guest said: “We know that those in the rebel outfits carry guns. However, it’s only their bodyguards who carry guns on a regular basis. We were shocked at the audacity of the groom and the bride, who started flaunting guns during their wedding.
“We do not want all of this to disturb the state’s peacefulness, especially with the Hornbill festival just a month away.”
Nagaland Police chief T. John Longkumer had told the news agency IANS: “I haven’t seen the picture and I am not aware of it.”
NSCN-U’s role in peace process
Formed in 2007, the NSCN-U is one of the seven rebel outfits which is part of the joint committee called Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) that is negotiating peace between insurgent outfits and the central government.
The last round of talks for peace in the decades-old conflict was held between the government interlocutor and Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi, the NSCN-IM and the NNPG on 31 October.
In 2012, NSCN-U leader Kiba had allegedly threatened to shoot journalists for using the phrase “self-styled” in front of the names of members of his militant group.
Also read: ‘Those days are gone’: How Naga people see peace accord interlocutor’s talks with NSCN-IM
Modi must make an example of some of these nags factions, now that Kashmir is fixed, Nagaland should be next
The Indian Army has en entire division stationed in Dimapur Cantonment. What were they doing? If Mr. Kiba is indeed the self-styled leader of the NSCN-U, the military should have eliminated him. Instead, he was allowed to celebrate his wedding and entertain guests. Speaks very poorly on the intelligence gathering capability of the local Army units.