Porbami youth disown press meet on Vezhoto Hesuh case

PFUTSERO – The Porbami Youth Organisation (PYO) has told the Centre Chakhesang Youth Organisation (CCYO) that Shekho Thuluo had no authority to speak for Vezhoto Hesuh’s family, clan or village when he held a press conference on Nov. 3 about Hesuh’s case with the Forest Department.

In a letter to the CCYO president, signed by the PYO president and general secretary and dated Nov. 5 and 6, the youth body said the Dzudotsomi clan of Porbami village, to which Hesuh belongs, had met and “categorically and unequivocally affirmed” that Thuluo “was neither authorized, empowered nor mandated to speak on behalf of the Family/Clan of Vezhoto Hesuh, nor on behalf of Porbami village.”

The PYO asked the CCYO to wait for its “concrete and consolidated report,” which it said would follow “meticulous verification and comprehensive consultation with all stakeholders.” It requested “that no further action or conclusion be drawn until our final report is formally placed before your office.”

‘Confusion, apprehension and mistrust’

The letter, which the PYO calls an interim status report, opens with the organisation’s “profound regret for the confusion, apprehension and mistrust engendered among our people and beyond” by the press conference.

The PYO said it viewed the press conference “with utmost gravity,” saying an individual had “not only undermined the sanctity of the community but also disregarded the authority and dignity of the office of the CCYO.”

It said it was working “in close coordination with all concerned authorities of Porbami village” to clear up doubts, and that the village authorities had held “a series of consultative meetings and deliberations.”

The letter describes the Hesuh case as a “resolved matter.” It does not say what Thuluo said at the press conference or what his link to the case is. Nagaland.News could not find a published report of the Nov. 3 press conference. Thuluo’s response will be added if he gives one.

The PYO, based in Pfutsero in Phek district, says it was established in 1973.

Background: the Vezhoto Hesuh case

The case began in September, when Hesuh, a youth from Porba village, was summoned by the Wildlife Crime Control Unit of the Wildlife Division in Dimapur on Sept. 11 over photos and videos on his Facebook page, according to a CCYO memorandum reported by The Morung Express. The CCYO said he was detained the same day.

The posts reportedly included a video of him offering a sweet to a monkey in Assam and images of birds in Porba. The Forest Department seized a Great Barbet from the village on Sept. 14, the CCYO said.

On Sept. 28, the CCYO led a traditional procession in Pfutsero and gave the state government a seven-day ultimatum with three demands: withdraw the case against Hesuh, return the bird, and hold an independent inquiry into an alleged demand of Rs 1 lakh for his release. The CCYO also argued that wildlife laws must take account of Naga customary rights under Article 371A of the Constitution.

The Great Barbet was handed back and released into the Porba forest at the end of September, PTI reported. When the other demands were not met, the CCYO announced a non-cooperation movement against the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and, on Oct. 12, sealed forest offices in Phek and Pfutsero, Hub Network reported.

On Oct. 14, the department and the CCYO signed a joint declaration in Kohima agreeing to settle the Hesuh case out of court, Nagaland Post and Eastern Mirror reported. It was signed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vedpal Singh and CCYO president Dode Nakro. According to the declaration, Hesuh said he had been unaware of the relevant laws, had acted only on “a rescue mission” and wished to settle the matter out of court. The CCYO lifted its agitation the next day, saying its three demands had been met.

On the alleged Rs 1 lakh demand, Police Headquarters said the State Crime Police Station had registered an FIR against a forest official of the Wildlife Division, Dimapur, and others under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act, Nagaland Post reported on Oct. 17. Police said an audio recording had been recovered and sent for forensic examination, and that the allegations “remain subject to investigation.”

What happens next

The PYO has not said when its final report will be ready. Nagaland.News did not find a public response from the CCYO to the letter at the time of writing.