The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Issac-Muivah) has urged Nagas in Nagaland on Monday to boycott the country's freedom day celebrations this week to protest against New Delhi's rule.
A statement from the NSCN (I-M) also asked people to hoist black flags outside their homes on Independence Day on August 15. "There is no justification in celebrating Independence Day and it is time for Nagas to express their resentment against the government of India," the statement said.
Twelve other separatist organisations in the Northeast have already called for a boycott of freedom day celebrations. Security in the Northeast as well as other parts of the country has been tightened ahead of Independence Day following intelligence reports of militant strikes on the occasion.
Authorities are on high alert in the Northeast after the government decided to restrict a four-year ceasefire with tribal rebels to Nagaland after violent protests in neighbouring Manipur. The NSCN, the oldest and largest armed group in the region, opposed the decision.
The Northeast has been on the boil for over a month after the government first announced plans to widen the ceasefire to include Naga-dominated parts of northeast. Critics in Manipur said they feared the widening of the truce would impinge on the territorial integrity of the tiny state which also has a Naga population. Bureau Report