DIMAPUR: Zaonger Mihkhung Arihako (ZMA), or Citizens’ Union, has issued a detailed ac-count of the events leading to the October 10 violence at Zaonger village involving members of the Yimkhiung and Tikhir communities, describing the matter as a longstanding internal village dispute that escalated into confrontation, property damage and displacement of residents.
In the interest of factual clarification, peace and public order, ZMA in a statement, said the dispute was being handled by a District Customary Court constituted by the Deputy Commissioner, Kiphire, in April 2025, following directions from the Commissioner, Nagaland. The court was constituted in accordance with Point 3 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed be-tween the Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC) and Tikhir Tribal Council (TTC) in the presence of State government officials during recognition of the Tikhir tribe. MoU states that disputes between members of the two tribes should be localised and resolved through customary laws and practices, with the status quo maintained, it added.
According to ZMA, the Customary Court on May 14, 2025, directed Zaonger Village Council to advance Rs. 25,000 towards the final traditional oath-taking ceremony. The amount was paid, but the final stage of the settlement remained pending.
ZMA said the Zaonger Village Joint Coordination Committee submitted a 45-day ultimatum to the State government in December 2025, seeking resolution under the MoU, but alleged that no ap-propriate action followed. Subsequently, 73 individuals who had identified themselves as Tikhir were expelled from village citizenship and directed to vacate the village with their properties. ZMA claimed the directive had not been complied with.
ZMA said that on October 9, after learning that the Tikhir Tsonglak-Nyi Festival 2026 was being organised at Zaonger village for the following day, the village Gaon Buras (GBs) visited the venue and cautioned those present against proceeding with the programme.
According to ZMA, the GBs referred to a Zaonger Village Council standing order dated April 21, 2026, which directed the expelled members to refrain from organising social, religious or other public programmes that could disturb the village’s peaceful atmosphere under the prevailing cir-cumstances.
The statement said officials from the Pungro district administration, accompanied by the officer-in-charge of Pungro Police Station, also visited the village that day and met both parties. The GBs explained the village council’s position and the circumstances surrounding the dispute.
However, ZMA alleged that festival preparations continued after the officials left, including the display of the words “Tikhir Tsonglak-Nyi Festival 2026, Zaonger” on a slaughtered pig, which it said further aggravated tensions.
On the morning of October 10, the village public approached a gathering of Tikhir-speaking indi-viduals preparing to celebrate and urged them to disperse and leave peacefully, citing the with-drawal of their village citizenship. ZMA said the intention was to prevent confrontation and resolve the situation peacefully.
However, arguments reportedly broke out after some individuals asserted that they were celebrat-ing on their own land in Zaonger and did not require permission from the village authorities. ZMA said the verbal confrontation was followed by minor vandalism at a house, after which the Tikhir individuals reportedly left the village en masse.
ZMA further claimed that a voice message in the Tikhir dialect was circulated widely on WhatsApp after the incident, allegedly calling on Tikhir Youth Volunteers to mobilise and destroy houses belonging to members of the Yimkhiung community in Zaonger.
It said the message heightened tensions and contributed to the escalation in Pokphur and Longtsunger villages.
According to the statement, houses belonging to Yimkhiung community members in Pokphur were subsequently set on fire by individuals from the village. ZMA said the incident was visible from Zaonger and further aggravated anger and resentment among the public.
The statement acknowledged that the Zaonger village public retaliated by setting fire to some houses belonging to the expelled members in the village. The ZMA expressed regret over the esca-lation and said the village authority had been pursuing a localised and peaceful settlement.
ZMA said it was prepared to produce relevant documents, resolutions and supporting evidence be-fore the competent authorities whenever required.
It clarified that it had no objection to the Tikhir community celebrating the Tsonglak-Nyi Festival outside Zaonger village. However, it maintained that holding the festival in Zaonger by individuals expelled from village citizenship while continuing to claim affiliation with the village was unwar-ranted.
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