Kohima: Two youth organizations are fighting back. The Centre Chakhesang Youth Organisation and the Chakhesang Youth Front condemned the detention of activist Vezhoto Hesuh. Officials from the Forest Department grabbed the Porba Village man after he posted pictures showing his affection for animals and birds. The groups claim this social media activity is not a crime under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Leaders Dode Nakro and Shevoto Vezuh from the CCYO want an impartial probe. They allege the department demanded 1 lakh rupees for the man's release without proving he broke the law. The groups argue this behavior undermines local conservation work. They pointed to the Shoot with a Camera and Not with a Gun campaign as a positive example the department is actively ruining.
The Porbami Youth Organisation wants a Great Barbet bird returned to them immediately. They claim the bird was taken on September 14. They view bird keeping as a local tradition that predates modern wildlife statutes. The CCYO warned the government that overreach regarding Article 371(A) of the Constitution might force them to declare forest laws null and void in the Centre Chakhesang Area.
Kevesa Khamo and Vetho Vadeo of the CYF slammed the department for failing to hold awareness programs. They argue that social media policing cannot replace actual field work. The CYF demanded to know exactly what laws were allegedly broken. "The CYF questioned why Hesuh was allegedly asked to pay Rs 1 lakh without a formal trial or judgment and demanded clarification on the specific Act and section invoked." The organization now demands the activist's immediate release, a full investigation into the department, and disciplinary action against the officers involved.
Updated at 18th September 2026 at 5:49pm
The CYF specified that it has spent the last 25 years strictly enforcing a hunting ban under a resolution from the Chakhesang Public Organisation. They claim this effort has provided massive support to the department at the ground level, yet officials still ignore their partnership in favor of policing social media feeds. The group further blasted the department for a total lack of physical presence in the area, noting they have never witnessed forest personnel conducting basic field operations like frisking or awareness drives.
The CCYO added that Hesuh is an active grassroots conservationist. They cautioned that the department's aggressive tactics against local nature lovers threaten to kill off youth engagement in conservation efforts by replacing collaboration with fear. The group is pushing the government to re-evaluate how wildlife statutes interact with Naga traditions to ensure administrative transparency.
Updated at 19th September 2026 at 1:48am
The Centre Chakhesang GBs Union has weighed in on the crisis, defending the tradition of keeping birds like the Great Barbet and Spotted Owlet as family members. The union leaders argue that while the community abandoned older practices like displaying birds during the Sokrunye festival, current domestic care ensures the animals live longer. They flatly rejected the idea that modern statutes hold more weight than their ancestral rights over the local forest and its wildlife.
The village elders are growing impatient regarding the fate of the seized Great Barbet. They warned that moving the bird from its high-altitude home to the heat of Dimapur risks a fatal climate shock. The union demanded an immediate health update on the animal and cautioned that if the department refuses to return it, the community may take matters into their own hands to retrieve the bird according to traditional custom.
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