GUWAHATI: Two armed separatist groups—the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Government of the People’s Republic of Nagaland), or NSCN/GPRN (Yung Aung faction), and the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I)—have jointly issued a call to boycott India’s Independence Day celebrations on August 15 across the region they describe as WESEA (Western South East Asia), covering parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland.
In a joint statement released Saturday, the groups dismissed Independence Day as a “so-called” celebration of freedom, asserting that it holds no significance for the people of WESEA. “Freedom cannot exist on oppressed land,” the statement declared, accusing Indian security forces of carrying out sustained brutality and labeling the national celebration as a reminder of “relentless oppression.”
The insurgent outfits claimed that Indian forces are engaged in an ongoing campaign of violence “with impunity” and framed their armed resistance as a legitimate defense against state-perpetrated cruelty, which they say is unjustly labeled as terrorism.
Despite decades of conflict in the region, the statement emphasized that their “resolve is stronger than ever” and vowed not to abandon their pursuit of independence.
Calling for a region-wide shutdown, the NSCN-YA and ULFA-I urged residents of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland to remain indoors on August 15 in a show of silent protest. According to the statement, this act of collective resistance would serve as a “powerful testament” to the region’s defiance against what they described as “ongoing occupation.”
“As India unfurls its colonial flag, let us unfurl the truth by exposing India’s war crimes in our region,” the statement concluded.
Authorities have not issued any official response.
