Hundreds of students and citizens rallied in Kohima on March 16 to protest the Ministry of Home Affairs’ directive mandating the singing of Vande Mataram, holding placards and shouting slogans against what they called a forced imposition on conscience and culture. Organisers said the protest responded to a January directive from the MHA-reported in the source as dated January 28, 2026 (a related passage also refers to a notification dated January 18)—which requires the playing and compulsory observance of the national song at official functions and in educational institutions.
Participants carried signs reading “MHA’s January 28, 2026 is an assault on secularism,” “Faith and culture cannot be silenced,” and “People’s identity, people’s rights,” and chanted “We oppose forced imposition.” Organisers said similar demonstrations were taking place across educational institutions and by federation units and subordinate bodies throughout the Naga homeland.
In an address at the rally, NSF President Mteisuding said the protest was not aimed at any community or faith but sought to defend the principle of secularism and the Naga people’s right to freedom of conscience. He argued that the issue goes beyond patriotism: “The song is not merely a patriotic composition. It carries devotional imagery associated with the worship of a particular deity. For the diverse communities of the Naga homeland… the compulsory singing of such a composition represents a violation of personal belief and collective conscience,” he said.
Mteisuding cited international human rights instruments, invoking Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and warned that directives imposed without consultation undermine democratic legitimacy. He added that the Naga people were not seeking special treatment but asserting rights “already enshrined in international law.”
Addressing attempts to intimidate dissenters, Mteisuding rejected threats he described as appeals to the “wrath of Delhi,” and said the Naga identity could not be diluted by financial incentives, military pressure or ideological propaganda. “Our conscience cannot be bent by administrative directives. And our identity will never be surrendered,” he said.
After the rally, participants accompanied by tribal bodies and church representatives marched to Lok Bhavan to submit a representation to the President of India through the Governor of Nagaland. The petition urged the President to “nullify or withdraw” the directive, arguing the revised version of Vande Mataram contains devotional imagery that infringes on deeply held beliefs and cultural sensitivities and that educational institutions should remain spaces for intellectual freedom rather than platforms for enforced symbolic conformity.
The representation was signed by NSF President Mteisuding, General Secretary Kenilo Kent, Secretary General NPMHR Neingulo Krome, and Rev Dr N Paphino, President of the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum, and appealed for the directive to be reconsidered in the spirit of justice, democratic values and respect for diversity.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/not-against-any-faith-but-a-stand-for-secularism-nsf
Category: Nagaland
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Publish Date: 2026-03-16 22:58:00
