The Nagaland Government ordered on Thursday that all “police check gates”, except those at the inter-State boundaries, shall be shut to “curb illegal collection of money from the vehicles on roads”.
Several armed groups, including the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) [NSCN-IM], one of the main groups with which the Government of India is engaged in peace talks, collect taxes from traders and vehicles. Last year, the Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CNCCI) asked the government to clarify if it feels the collection of taxes by armed groups is illegal. It said that the business community has had to pay taxes to at least 10 armed groups and “end up paying 12-13 times taxes while their counterparts elsewhere pay only the GST (Goods and Services Tax)“.
The order comes a day after Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio met Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, where he demanded the early conclusion of Naga peace talks. Nagaland goes to the polls in February 2023. Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton, who is with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has in recent public meetings demanded President’s Rule for the State if the Naga peace agreement is not signed soon. The discussion with the NSCN-IM is reportedly stuck over the latter’s demand for a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas.
