Following delay in arresting the alleged “kingpins” in the recently exposed fuel adulteration racket, Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) has intensified its protest by picketing nine fuel outlets in Dimapur, Kohima and Wokah and also the Food & Civil Supplies (F&CS) department, Dimapur here on Thursday.
Hundreds of volunteers including members of ACAUT held placards which read, “This station sells adulterated fuel,” “CM & State Govt, stop robbing people,” “Fill at your own risk,” “Srikanth, Nawal, Dinanath, Umesh, Ajay; de-facto rulers of Nagaland,” adorned the premises of the selected fuel outlets.
A huge banner, “Food and Civil Supplies Department is now Fooling Consumers Service Department” was put up inside the F&CS office complex and similar banners were also seen in strategic locations around Dimapur.
Later, the volunteers, including members of ACAUT, Concerned Citizens of Nagaland (CCN), Eastern Naga Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) Dimapur Unit, senior citizens, NGOs, and supporters, congregated at the F&CS office complex where a “protest programme” was held while simultaneous picketing took place in Pherima, 7th Mile: Essar, 2 ½ Mile: NRL, Essar, near West Police Station, Essar, Duncan Bosti. Various speakers addressed the gathering and echoed the same sentiment- desire for corruption free Nagaland. One of the speaker maintained the protest was “not violent nor aggressive neither does it target a particular department, but rather a spiritual warfare.”
He added that ACAUT would go and pray in every department in days to come. Cautioning the government not to take the protest lightly, one of the speakers cautioned that “the protest will continue till the Government listens.”
Meanwhile, ACAUT stated the picketing was mainly against the alleged kingpins who were reportedly proxy owners running business through Power of Attorney. ACAUT maintained the “protest programme” at F&CS was a “prayer appeal” to the conscience of the department.
Reacting to the statement of F&CS, that a detailed inquiry had been initiated, ACAUT dismissed the statement saying it had no faith in the internal inquiry nor will it accept the verdict.
“We want the Police to investigate the racket as SIT will whitewash the issue and State Vigilance Commission (SVC) should also take cognizance of the case,” ACAUT stated.
Further, ACAUT warned of tougher actions on the failure of the government to heed their demands.
Kma citizens picket
Notwithstanding the rain, concerned citizens of Kohima held a peaceful picketing of fuel outlets under the banner of ACAUT at K. Enterprise, Imphal road Thursday, while business of the fuel outlet ran smoothly.
While extending support to ACAUT, the citizens voiced out that public can no more tolerate fuel adulteration and hoped that the picketing would create awareness.
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