Thomas
NNC Member
The last surviving among six signatories of Shillong Accord passed away at his old-age 89 years in Kohima Nagaland on January 23, 2024.
It was fact and known to all Nagas that the renegade leaders used the Shillong Accord (SA) as their political propaganda and started killings their own Naga national leaders in the last part of 1979 before the NSCN was formed. Then after the killings, they formed the so-called National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) on January 31, 1980. Since then they had been telling lies, saying the SA was the main factor for division and killings among the Nagas. For that reason, they term the SA as infamous accord till date. They shifted the blame for killings on to the signatories and the NNC/FGN.
It is therefore, needed to retrospect and scrutinize about why the renegade leaders said; the SA was the main factor for division and killing among the Nagas.
To let the Naga people, know about division and killings, I have written the books, “How fratricidal killing started among the Nagas”, published in 1997, “Nagaland and Th Muivah’s Terrorist Activities” published in 2005, “The Illegal formation of NSCN” published in 2016. And lastly, “Detail Account of Shillong Accord and Division among the Nagas” was compiled again into a small book extracted the particular points from the books as mentioned above and widely circulated it online in 2023. In that book, I have explained that none of the Naga national leaders did express in favor or support the SA and neither contemplated to convince Isak-Muivah and others to accept and support the SA.
Even if I have written the truth of events with proof and evidence, some people do not accept what truth is, instead lightly said, they are claiming their own right. Because, they could not differentiate the truth from false.
It is in the history now that the SA was signed in 1975 but both Governments; Government of India (GoI) and the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) did not ratify it and the accord faced instant death before the formation of NSCN. Therefore, no single talk was held by the GoI and FGN based on the SA. But it is unfortunate that five years after the Accord, the NSCN was formed in 1980, and the NSCN leaders had been using the death SA for their propaganda. Why they had been using it is the question to be raised by the young generations to come, and needed to know by all the Nagas.
Also, till date, they are condemning Phizo for not condemning the SA. It is true that A.Z. Phizo did not condemn SA officially, because he most probably considered to denounce or condemn it, would be tantamount to recognizing SA, because it was made to be signed on behalf of underground organizations, not by NNC/FGN. His point of view is not wrong. And yet, he had given political directive to the Naga national leaders in 1978: that “No Naga should talk of the Shillong Accord, but let India talk of it first and then only I will reply to it”. However, the Indian leaders never talk of it. Instead, the Indian Prime Minister IK Gujaral declared for unconditional talkswith the Naga national leaders in 1997 for solving the protracted Indo-Naga conflict. The declaration for unconditional talks was considered admission by the GoI, that the SA was only an invalid document or there was no SA in her office.
After the declaration for unconditional talks, the GoI signed a ceasefire agreement with NSCN-IM on July 27, 1997, which came into effect on 1st August 1997. And then, the GoI sent its feelers to the NNC office in London, NNC/FGN office in Kohima, and Eastern NNC/FGN Oking (Headquarters), inquiring whether the NNC/FGN leaders would like to participate in unconditional talks with the GoI. This was proved that there was no SA in the office of GoI.
Even the GoI does not possess the SA, there was no question of division and dispute among the Nagas on the matter of SA.It is clear to all the Nagas.
If the Nagas have no division on the matter of SA, why then the division took placed among the Naga national leaders in the Eastern Oking which eventually led to committing fratricidal killings? This is needed to be known by the next generations of Naga. And I myself consider to make the record clear, because I was with them (Muivah, Isak, and Khaplang) and have seen with my own eyes the events from 1976 to 1979. What they told after the formation of NSCN borne no truth. Thus, I have written the books to let the Naga people know about the truth.
The true reason for division among the Naga national leaders in Eastern Oking started from 1976 was: not because of SA or the NNC surrendered, but Th Muivah and Isak Swu made the NNC/FGN as a socialistic form of Government, known as one party one government, centralized government on 16th August 1976. Which made the NNC President as the President of FGN as well. That was a gross violation of Nagaland Yehzabo (Constitution) and against the Naga traditional democratic system.
As they made NNC/FGN in the socialistic form of government, it showed the fact that Muivah and Isak did not condemn the NNC and FGN even after SA was signed in 1975.
After this new formation of Government, Th Muivah, the then NNC General Secretary went to China again in 1977, leading 300 Naga soldiers. From China, the Nagas had complete division took place, because Muivah advocated to form socialist government by overthrowing Phizo’s leadership. They returned back home in 1978, and as soon as they reached the Eastern Oking in March 1978, Th Muivah unequivocally advocated to overthrow Phizo’s leadership and to form socialist government.
On the other hand, the Naga Army officers (none Tangkhul) who raged against Muivah from China, prepared to declare Martial Law if Muivah forcefully overthrow Phizo’s leadership and adopt socialism.
At the same time, (in April-May, 1978), we had fervently requested Muivah not to adopt socialism in the interest of national solidarity; saying; if you adopt socialism, it would be a political blunder and the blood of Nagas’ will run like a river.
But Th. Muivah, did not take heed to our advice, rather adopted a resolution to overthrowing Phizo’s leadership on 2nd August 1978. The resolution triggered the declaration of Martial Law by the Naga Army officers on August 30, 1978. And the two leaders (Isak-Muivah) were kept under house arrest for more than eight months. They were released unhurt in May 1979.
After releasing, Muivah did conspiracy with Isak and Khaplang to kill all those who opposed his socialist political ideology, instead of building national unity with compromise formula. And then started killings all leaders those who opposed his socialism starting from November 1979 up to January 3rd 1980. The list of their names is in my books.
After eliminating their opponents, Th. Muivah and Isak signed merger of NNC and ERNC, with Eno Khaplang, President, ENRC (Eastern Naga Revolutionary Council) on January 29, 1980 on behalf of the NNC General Secretary and Vice President, stating “The NNC is the only authentic political organization of the whole people of Nagaland. (The merger document isin my book). The document showed the fact that Up toJan. 29, 1980, they didn’t condemn the NNC.
Why they condemned the NNC and started tell lies?
The reason, they resorted to condemn the NNC and telling lies was; because before the formation of NSCN, they killed all the NNC/FGN leaders and top Naga Army officers, as they strongly opposed his (Muivah’s) policy to adopt socialism. (List of their names is in my book). Yet, for the killing of important NNC/FGN leaders, they might have faced difficulty as to how they would inform the people.
If they tell the truth reason for the killings, it would be a suicidal policy for them. So, they took 68 days (after the last killings 3rd Jan. 1980) for giving the report to the people. Only on March 11, 1980 they gave report to the people, by giving false chargesheet on the decayed dead bodies killed by them, stating; they were supporters of Shillong Accord and anti-nationalists, so they eliminated them all. The NNC has failed and they have no option but to form the NSCN to save Naga nation.
Therefore, the reason for condemning the NNC and telling lies was that theyneed to conceal the truth reason for the killings, and also wanted to shift the blame for killings on to the NNC/FGN leaders and the signatories of the Accord. From then on, they had been condemning the NNC and telling lies, such as the SA was a capitulation accord, the NNC signed to accept the Indian Constitution and surrendered, Phizo refused to condemn the SA, and so on.
However, ultimately, the NSCN leaders admitted that the NNC did not surrender by celebration the Golden Jubilee of NNC in 1997, and then, they continued to observe Naga Independence Day every year, and in 2022 they again joyously celebrated 75th Platinum Jubilee of the NNC. Also, by signing a Framework Agreement (FA) with the GoI for a solution within the Indian Union on 3rd August 2015, they admitted that the SA was not the reason for division and killing among the Naga brothers. With these, they admitted that they had been telling lies.
By celebrating the Naga Independence Day every year by all the Nagas including the NSCN, the Nagas are recognizing the miraculous work of God to save Nagaland from complete capitulation with the use of SA, and we are now praising Him from our utmost heart by celebrating Naga Independence Day every year.
God bless Nagaland.
