Kohima, Nov 4 : Entrepreneurship in Nagaland is increasingly becoming a difficult job. Militants in the state are threatening them with kidnap, ransom and even murder.

Recently, the businessmen in Nagaland’s Dimapur took out a rally against the killing of a local entrepreneur after abducting him.

Shopkeepers and the business community in the state has requested the Union Home Ministry to deploy more forces to stop the killings and for the smooth functioning of entrepreneurship in Nagaland.

The family members and the well wishers of 44-years old Prasenjit Dhar, who was brutally killed after kidnapping, are in a state of shock.

No body is willing to speak openly about the perpetrators of the murder. However, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah group, which has been dominating the commercial hub and regularly indulging into ransom and killing, is under suspicion.

The incident has angered the local business community who are demanding the deployment of more security forces to protect their lives and property. Such killing dampens the spirit of the local entrepreneur for expansion and further investment in the region.

"This killing is a bad trend in our state and should not happen. Everyone should live together, be it business or other walks of life. We should see that such things are not repeated and all should work towards it. The culprits should be sternly dealt with," said Sekhu Sumi, a relative of the victim in Nagaland.

Violence against the non-Nagas is forcing the traders to migrate out of the state.

"This type of killing should be stopped at any cost, otherwise businessmen won''t stay here for long. Gradually most of them are migrating. Every day one hears the news of extortion and killing that should be banned at any cost," said another local resident of Nagaland.

This year nearly 20 non-Naga businessmen have been killed by criminals and over 50 of them were abducted for ransom. Over 100 affluent non-Naga businessmen have fled Dimapur. But the state government has so far failed to arrest anyone in this connection.

Dimapur has been the centre of factional clashes between different Naga groups to control the market. While people in the state hold peace rallies and football matches to promote peace, the Naga groups who claim to represent the interest of the Nagas are disregarding people''s wishes and are harming the long term economic interests of the state. (ANI)