Dimapur, September 2 (MExN): During the 1950s, as bloodshed from the Naga political movement raged, Nagas were left standing on the ‘dividing edge’ of annihilation and on the other side of the line, life. Seeing the senseless killings and bloodshed first-hand, the church leaders of the 1950s reaffirmed the principle of non-violence as the guiding principle for any future peace work for the NBCC, one of Nagaland’s most eminent church leaders today, said.
Director of the NBCC’s Peace Affairs, Rev. L Kari Longchar today wrote an article elaborating retrospection on the ‘significance of’ the 1964 ceasefire in Nagaland between the government of India and the FGN. In the article, Rev. Longchar also explained the reasons the NBCC decided to “involve.” The September 6, 1964 cease-fire declaration is one of the landmarks and highlights in Naga history, Rev. Kari says. It was achieved through the ceaseless toil and sacrifice of Kenneth Kerhuo, Rev. Longri Ao and hosts of church leaders in facilitating peace talk between the top political leaders of the Government of India (GoI) and the ‘Federal Government of Nagaland’ (FGN).
Prior to the cease-fire, Assam Police and Indian Army waged a reign of terror in Nagaland. Empowered with the black law, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA), they unsuccessfully attempted to destroy the Naga political struggle. “But they destroyed the economic support system by burning and destroying villages, granaries and paddy-fields. They raped women both young and old in full public view and sodomized boys. People were randomly killed. Even the Church workers were not spared. A classical example is Rev. Pelesato Chase, the first Field Director of Chakesang Baptist Church Council; without any reason (he) was pulled out from his house in Phek town on April 15th 1956. He was taken to Chakaba Army Camp, put inside a sack-bag, tortured mercilessly and killed. His body was never found.”
Those dark years, nobody questioned the vile atrocities of the Indian army, Rev. Longchar stated. “The voices of the Human Right movement, both national and international was not heard of and thus Naga public suffered the brunt and cruelty of the Indian Army. Against such a background, through the initiative of NBCC, on September 6, 1964, cease-fire was declared between the FGN and GoI. People’s joy knew no bound. It was truly a celebration of freedom from destructive devices of the Indian Army,” the NBCC leader stated in the article.
“Throughout the breadth and length of Nagaland, people swarmed into the streets, public places and churches rejoicing, praising, shouting, singing and praying because freedom was finally reality.” On the background of the Indo-Naga political conflict, the article referred to the advent of the British administration in the Naga lands. Then Naga territory remained independent and un-administered by any foreign power.
“The British Government arrived and occupied a part of Nagaland in 1880 A.D. bordering with the eastern side of Assam known as Naga Hills comprising several tribes. After about four decades of British occupation of the Naga Hills, the British wanted to arrange the administration in India; and to study about the same, a commission was detailed to India called the Simon Commission which arrived in Nagaland in 1929. The leaders of Naga people submitted a memorandum stating that Nagas be left alone as before the advent of British, on the eve of the British departure from the Indian sub-continent.”
Basing on this memorandum, Rev. Longchar said, the Naga Hills was put as an “excluded area” from British India under Constitutional Act of 1935 by the British parliament. This excluded area was looked after directly by the Governor of Assam since 1936.
On the “political position” of the Nagas then, the NBCC leader wrote that the Naga National Council (NNC) asserted “sovereignty” on a number of points: Nagaland was never part of Burma and India before the British’s partial occupation. NNC never agreed to be a part of India; the Nagas declared “independence” on 14th August, 1947, a day prior to India’s; the Naga Hills people/excluded area people conducted a “national plebiscite” on 16th May 1951 within the British administered area where 99.9% voted for “sovereignty” of Nagaland affirming the 14th August 1947 Independent declaration; the “plebiscite” further strengthened the people’s mandate to the NNC and the Naga Tatar Hoho (the Naga Parliament), NNC, adopted the “constitution of Nagaland,” which brought together the free Nagas and NNC and established the ‘Federal Government of Nagaland’ on 22nd of March 1952; the free Nagas are those Naga tribes who were never ruled by the British or any other foreign power.
