National People's Party Calls for End to Harassment & Assault in the Name of Lockdown

Dimapur, March 28, 2020:

The Nagaland National People’s Party (NPP), while expressing solidarity with the rest of India and the international community in the collective fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, has raised some serious issues that have cropped up after the declaration of the nationwide lockdown.

NPP, in a statement said that the people enforcing the lockdown in the state have misunderstood the preventive measure and ended up harassing the common people.

‘The authorities in Nagaland including the police and the lockdown enforcing village and colony youths councils have grossly misunderstood the real concept of a lockdown and have created a situation akin to a total curfew during a war-like situation. Instead of having a human apathy towards fellow citizens at this time of crisis, they are harassing the common people, especially the helpless ones, which is totally against all human ethics..." said National People’s Party in the statement.

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Stating that the government of India has never given an advisory to any state prohibiting individuals from venturing out of their homes to buy essential commodities, medicines, etc., for their families or for emergency purposes including funerals, the party said “the police and the village/colony authorities should understand this and avoid harassing and physically assaulting the public in the name of lockdown”.

“Various organisations should also not take law in their hands at this crucial juncture which may worsen the situation and may result in total breakdown and chaos. NPP Nagaland would therefore request (to) all concerned to show utmost restraint while dealing with the situation at present,” the statement read.

The National People’s Party has appealed to the public to co-operate with the government and authorities, stay at home and as far as possible and let “only” one person from each family to venture out for buying essential commodities as per the scheduled time to avoid any untoward situation.

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It further appealed to the state government, "to come up with an immediate and well-streamlined policy to deal with the pandemic like procuring enough ventilators, setting up quarantine centres in all the districts, keeping enough ambulances as standby to deal with any eventuality, and most importantly to procure enough testing kits, hazmat suits, masks and hand sanitisers so that in the eventuality of an outbreak, the state would be adequately prepared for the worst."

“We also request the state government to ensure that there is free flow of essential commodities in the market and authorities concerned of all the districts should strictly deal with grocery shops and pharmacies, which are trying to hoard goods and charging exorbitant prices from the public,” the Nagaland National People’s Party stated, adding that a clear-cut policy should be drawn with assistance from the Centre to help the daily wage earners, the homeless beggars and those stranded in various states due to the lockdown.

“The Police department also should be sensitized to be more humane in their dealing towards the public, who are already petrified by the pandemic,” it added.

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