Markets were shut and private offices were closed as an indefinit꧒e shutdown of business establishments began in Nagaland on Saturday to protest against extortion🌳 by underground groups.
The shutdown was first obs♌erved in the state's commercial capital Dimapur on Friday, following which the other districts joined on a call given by the Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce & Industries (CNCCI).
The CNCI said harassm🅷ent of the business community over extortion cannot be toler♔ated any further.
It urged the government to take immediate steps to stop the "unabated" extortions, intimidations and summo💮ns by the underground♛ groups.
The CNCI said that banks, educational institutions, government offices a꧃nd hospitals have been kept outsid❀e the purview of the shutdown.
State Home Commiss🍬ioner Vikeyie Kenya said that it has "come to the notice" of the government that "rampant collection of taxes" from businesses, particularly in Dimapur, by various groups, most of wh💃ich have signed ceasefire agreements with the government, has created an unbearable situation.
"Such activities reflect adversely on the law enforcing agency as well as on the state government," he said, directing the police to tak🃏e stringent measures.
He instructed the district administratiꦓons and the police to report any violation of the ceasefire ground rules to the Ceasefire Monitoring Group for appropriate action.
Police should continue arresting "un🗹derground cadres" found extorting under the National Security Act (NSA), Kenya🍃 said.
The Dimapur police commissioner was aske♚d to increase patrolling in market areas, and also deploy IRBn personnel to instill confidence among the people, he said.
The government also di🔯rected that a special cell be formed by the police commissioner to exclusively deal with incidents of extortion൲, he added.
The Dimapur Cham𒈔ber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) said directions of such nature were issued by the state government in the past as well.
"Howev𒉰er, considering the government's continued insincerity, it does not seem to hold any water," it said.
The shutdown will continue as long as the government does not take any 💎satisfa🔴ctory steps, it added.
