Nagaland to revive barbed cages for criminals

Nagaland to revive barbed cages for criminals

It was seen that, some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive a traditional form of punishment that seeks to check crime with an itch in time.

Nagaland traditional form of punishment

Villages in Nagaland practice a traditional form of punishment that punishes social offenders or violators of Naga customary laws. They put offenders into a triangular barbed cage that irritates the skin.

The cage is made of the logs of Masang-fung. It is a local tree that people avoid because of the irritation it causes.

These cages are referred to in Nagaland as khujli Ghar and in Nagamese as pidgin lingua franca.

The cage is usually placed at a central spot in the village, usually in full public view. Hence, the punishment is more of humiliation or loss of face within the community or clan than of spending at least a day inside the barbed cages without any space to move.

What is Khujli Ghar?

Social offenders or violators of Naga customary laws have over the ages dreaded a cramped, triangular cage made from the logs of Masang-fung, a local tree that people avoid because of the irritation it causes.

The dread is more of humiliation or loss of face within the community or clan than of spending at least a day scratching furiously without any space to move.

Such itchy cages are referred to as khujli ghar in Nagamese — a pidgin lingua franca — but each Naga community has its own name. The Aos, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, call it Shi-ki that means flesh-house.

About the Article 371A

Article 371(A) is a solemn commitment to the People of Nagaland. Article 371(A) of the Constitution guarantees the preservation of the Naga customary laws.

The State also funds the customary courts in villages and towns where cases — mostly dealing with land litigation, money-lending and marital disputes — have a high rate of prompt disposal.

Article 371A states that no act of Parliament shall apply to the state of Nagaland in respect of the religious or social practices of the Nagas, its customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law and ownership and transfer of land and its resources.