Naga forum accuses Assam Rifles Major of illegal snooping, cites constitutional violations

Kohima, Oct 12: The Global Naga Forum (GNF), an organisation advocating for the rights of the Naga people, has accused a Major of the Assam Rifles of unlawful surveillance.

Expressing its concerns and calling it a violation of Articles 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution, the forum wrote an open letter to the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North), Major General Manish Kumar, on Friday.

Through the letter, the GNF accused Assam Rifles’ Major Narendra, stationed at Avangkhu, Nagaland, of unauthorised monitoring of forum members’ discussions in a WhatsApp group for five months.

The letter cited a specific incident on April 24, when Thongtsumiu, a GNF member, was allegedly stopped and questioned by Major Narendra at a border check-post.

During the questioning, the Major reportedly confiscated Thongtsumiu's mobile phone, coercing him to add the officer to a WhatsApp group, and later denied him entry into Nagaland when he refused.

Terming Major Narendra’s alleged actions as an infringement on their freedom of speech and right to privacy, the letter also claimed that the Major was removed from the group when his presence was discovered.

The letter stated that Major Narendra covertly embedded himself into the GNF forum, secretly monitored conversations, and “gathered internal information for over five months, until we recently discovered his presence and deleted him from the group.”

The forum also highlighted that such actions breach international commitments like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The GNF’s letter demands accountability from Assam Rifles, urging General Kumar to clarify the Major’s actions and take punitive measures.

Assam Rifles has yet to respond to the allegations.