Overview
- Thousands marched from Kohima Town to Lok Bhavan and submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu via the Nagaland Governor seeking withdrawal of the directive.
- The Naga Students' Federation argues the mandate’s devotional imagery conflicts with Naga beliefs and cites the UDHR, ICCPR and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- Speakers from the Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights, the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum, Nagaland Christian Revival Churches and the Catholic Association of Nagaland endorsed the protest.
- Naga student bodies in Manipur, ANSAM and SDSA, opposed enforcement in their areas, with SDSA warning of stringent actions against attempts to compel observance.
- The January 28 MHA guidelines standardise protocol by requiring Vande Mataram before the national anthem at official events and in educational institutions, and no official response to Monday’s appeals was reported.