By Matters India Reporter
Mumbai: A national ecumenical body has supported Nagaland women’s demand to reserve 33 percent seats for them in urban local bodies.
The Indian Christian Women Movement (ICWM) has criticized “male-dominated” tribal bodies in Nagaland opposing the demand citing customary laws. The movement also condemned anti-reservation groups resorting to violence.
“We condemn the violence used to prevent the polls from being held and the police high handedness that caused the death of two persons,” ICWM said in a press statement on February 9.
The women’s body was responding to mobs torching government buildings and vehicles on February 2 in Kohima, capital of Nagaland forcing the government to impose curfew in many places in the state.
The ICWM urged the Joint Coordination Committee to respect the directive of the Guwahati High Court to allow elections.
Underscoring that the people of Nagaland, especially its women, enjoy “one of the highest literacy rates” in India, the Church group termed as “untenable” the attempts to hold back Naga women from standing for elected office.
According to the 2011 census, 82.75 percent women and 76.11 percent women in Nagaland are literate.
“We therefore call upon the men of Naga society to recognize and value the contribution that Naga women in elected office in ULB (Urban Local Bodies) can make toward the betterment of the cities in the state and its environment by their participation in these decision making bodies,” the ICWM press release said.
The movement urged the Nagaland government to start a dialogue between the JCC and women’s groups “so that the constitutionally valid right of women to stand for ULB elections will be acknowledged and accepted and the long standing stalemate in holding local elections will end.”
The press statement was signed by ICWM convener Noella D’Souza and secretary Virginia Saldanha.
Earlier, the head of the Catholic Church in Nagaland had appealed for restraint and calm in the state. Bishop James Thoppil of Kohima on February 3 said the Church was pained at the events in Nagaland, especially the violence in the capital.
The prelate asked people to abjure all forms of violence in the name of God. Kohima diocese covers entire Nagaland, one of the three Christian-majority states in northeastern India.
What triggered the protests was the decision of the Nagaland’s Democratic Alliance government to go ahead with the municipal elections, reserving 33 percent seats for women.
The tribal bodies claim the move violates their constitutional rights. The Article 371(A) of the Indian Constitution allows them to follow their traditional laws, which do not give women any political right. The groups say that women are free to contest elections, but on any quota.
Violence erupted after January 28 when the government decided to push ahead with the elections after the Guwahati High Court turned down the tribal groups’ demand to defer them. The elections, the government announced, would be held in 12 of the state’s 32 municipal bodies.
However, on February 2 the government decided to cancel elections held so far and transfer police officers responsible for Dimapur.
On February 1, elections to 15 of the 32 civic bodies in Nagaland were conducted amid curfew and protests. The state election commission postponed elections in eight towns owing to the trouble.