Thousands of students and citizens took to the streets of Kohima on Monday as the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) organised a rally opposing the Centre’s directive mandating the singing of Vande Mataram during official functions and in educational institutions.
Protesters marched from Kohima Town to Lok Bhavan carrying placards criticising the directive issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Slogans on banners described the order as an “assault to secularism” and called for respect for Naga rights and beliefs.
Following the rally, the federation submitted a memorandum addressed to Droupadi Murmu through the Governor of Nagaland, urging the withdrawal of the directive, as mentioned in a report.
The NSF said that although the Naga people respect national symbols and the cultural expressions of different communities, imposing symbolic practices that carry religious connotations raises concerns about freedom of conscience.
In the memorandum, the federation argued that the revised version of Vande Mataram includes devotional imagery associated with the worship of a particular deity, which it said conflicts with the cultural and religious sensitivities of the Naga people.
It maintained that educational institutions should promote intellectual freedom and democratic values rather than serve as platforms for enforcing ideological conformity.
The NSF also cited international frameworks such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, stating that freedom of thought, conscience and religion must be protected.
It further referred to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which recognises the rights of indigenous communities to preserve their cultural institutions and traditions.
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Addressing the gathering, NSF president Mteisuding Heraang said the rally was a collective assertion that the identity and beliefs of the Naga people cannot be dictated through administrative directives.
He emphasised that the protest was not directed against any nation or community but against the imposition of practices that may conflict with people’s beliefs.
Speakers from several organisations, including the Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights, Nagaland Joint Christian Forum, Nagaland Christian Revival Churches and the Catholic Association of Nagaland, also addressed the rally and expressed support for the protest.
The NSF urged the President to revoke the directive and called for greater consultation with representatives of the Naga people before implementing policies that could affect the region’s cultural and social fabric.
