Tribal communities argue that fencing cuts off cross-border kinship networks that predate modern national boundaries.
BY PC Bureau
August 27, 2025: A major confrontation appears to be brewing in the Northeast after the Centre rejected demands from Naga groups to scrap the Indo-Myanmar border fencing and restore the Free Movement Regime (FMR).
Talks between the Government of India (GoI) and the United Naga Council (UNC)-led organisations ended in a deadlock on Tuesday, with both sides unwilling to yield ground. The Centre made it clear that it would “not blink” on the twin measures, citing national security, cross-border smuggling, and illegal immigration as compelling reasons.
Sources said the government is prepared to deploy the army and take stern steps if protests intensify, even as it urged Naga representatives to reconsider their opposition “in the larger national interest.”
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The UNC delegation, comprising current office bearers, three former presidents, leaders of the Naga Women Union (NWU), and the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), met an eight-member GoI team led by A.K. Mishra, Advisor (Northeast), Ministry of Home Affairs, with officials from the Intelligence Bureau and Border Management also present. The meeting lasted nearly two hours.
UNC leaders had urged the Centre to at least put border fencing on hold while dialogue continued. However, the proposal was flatly rejected. Following the deadlock, Naga leaders are expected to return to Senapati and announce an agitation plan, with the possibility of an indefinite economic blockade on national highways looming large.
The stand-off follows an ultimatum issued by the UNC on July 22, demanding that the Centre withdraw its decisions on border fencing and abrogation of FMR. The ultimatum expired on August 11, after which the UNC convened an “emergency presidential council” meeting, resolving to launch agitation within 15 days.
With neither side backing down, the region is bracing for what could become a prolonged confrontation over the Centre’s border security measures and the Naga assertion of ancestral land rights.
The UNC has made it clear that it cannot back down from its demand to scrap border fencing and restore the Free Movement Regime (FMR), as the issue strikes at the heart of Naga identity, ancestral land rights, and age-old ties with kindred communities across the Indo-Myanmar border.
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For the Nagas, fencing is not just a physical barrier but a symbolic rupture of historical, cultural, and familial bonds that predate modern nation-states. This sentiment resonates widely across the hills, with the entire tribal belt — including Kuki-Zo and Mizo communities — rallying behind the demand. For them too, the abrogation of FMR threatens traditional livelihoods, cross-border kinship networks, and a sense of belonging rooted in shared tribal heritage. What began as a Naga issue has therefore transformed into a broader tribal cause, uniting multiple communities in their opposition to New Delhi’s policy.
