73 years on, Naga Plebiscite Day still echoes in the struggle for independence

DIMAPUR — On May 16, 1951, the Naga National Council (NNC) conducted a plebiscite, claiming 99.9% of the Nagas voted for independence from India. This historic day, known as Naga Plebiscite Day, remains a potent symbol in the ongoing fight for Naga sovereignty, a struggle that continues over seven decades later.

As the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) prepares to observe the 73rd anniversary at the NBCC Convention Centre in Kohima, Eastern Mirror spoke to a few Naga citizens who lived through that defining moment.

Veteran politician, Dr. SC Jamir, recalled participating in the plebiscite at Kohima Local Ground, as a Class 9 student. Though unaware of the meaning of a plebiscite at the time, he said they were told to sign ‘yes or no’ on the form.

“Obviously, as instructed, everybody signed yes because it would mean independence for Nagas. As a young man, I thought that through plebiscite Nagas will automatically get their independence,” he shared.

Jamir, who later played a key role in the formation of Nagaland state with the signing of 16-Point Agreement in 1960, recalled how almost all inhabitants of the then Naga Hills district participated with great enthusiasm.

“Simple Nagas were told by the leadership of the NNC that, Independence would mean that they would be totally free from everything. They were not told the responsibility and burden of a sovereign country. The NNC under the leadership of AZ Phizo decided to demonstrate to the world that Nagas want a separate homeland of their own through a plebiscite. This was an explicit expression of the entire Naga people for an independent Nagaland,” he shared. 

He said that the plebiscite ‘symbolises one Naga nation under the banner of the NNC.’ However, the NNC, which was formed in 1946 at Wokha, no longer exists in its original form, and it has now become ‘abnormal’ with 24 faces today.

While acknowledging the significance of Naga Plebiscite Day, he noted the contradiction in the present political arrangement.

To buttress his point, the veteran leader said that over the last six decades or more, “instead of solidifying Naga unity and solidarity as enshrined in the spirit of plebiscite, factionalism, groupism and tribalism had totally destroyed the spirit and sanctity of the plebiscite”.

“The mandate was given only to the undivided NNC,” he asserted, maintaining that “none of the factions have the legitimacy to claim the mandate given by the plebiscite”.

Further, he pointed out that groups that were championing the cause of independence officially signed Framework Agreement in 2015 and the Agreed Position in 2017. However, neither of the documents addresses the issues of sovereignty or integration.

“So, observing plebiscite day at this stage does not carry any political significance,” he maintained.

Proud Experience

K Aliba, known popularly as Captain Aliba, was 16 when the plebiscite was conducted. Though he did not participate in the exercise, he later join the national movement in 1958, compelled by the circumstances of the time.

Now 89, he shared his experiences of the struggle, including incidents where he and his comrades narrowly escaped death during army operations.

He recalled an incident when they had to hide on spotting ‘enemies’ in the jungle, as “our arms were nothing compared to what our enemies had”.

Despite the constant danger and hardship, Aliba maintained that it was the sense of unwavering patriotism that fueled their fight for a Naga nation- a fight he described as a “proud experience”.

He retired as a Captain in 1974, after years of service to the cause.

About three years in prison

Along with the Naga men were also women including 88-year-old Supulemla (Supula) Imchen.

Although she couldn’t witness the plebiscite day in Kohima in 1951, she proudly recalled voting for the nation in 1952 when the national workers canvassed all Naga-inhabited areas.

She recalled how, a man in his prime, via a public address system, called on whoever wants independence to vote.

As per Imchen’s accounts, there were few teenagers including herself, along with elders, lined up at the present Imlong Place in Mokokchung, to give their mandate.

Soon after, her teenage years took a drastic turn as her school had to be closed down after an attack when she was in Class 10. Subsequently, she followed in her father’s footsteps, who served as a Rana Peyu in the NNC, and became actively involved in the national movement.

In the subsequent years, she spent a little less than three years in various prisons, during which she learnt languages like Bengali, Assamese and Nepali, as way to distract herself from the hardships.

In the year 1977, Imchen joined the ‘overground politics’ and served in various civil society organisations and political parties. But she found herself back in the national movement after being appointed as the president of the Women Wing, NNC (Non-Accordist) in 2014.

Displaying her appointment letter (laminated), she observed that patriotism was what kept the people going back then.

“I never took nation’s money for my personal use, as it belonged to all Nagas,” she maintained, while lamenting the love for money becoming a priority to many today. 

‘Signed with blood’

Aged 89, Angami Fulutsu, who served in the Naga army for many years and as Secretary to AZ Phizo, recounted the struggles of leaders striving for an independent nation.

He said that he couldn’t witness the plebiscite day but those who participated has described it as a historic moment where people “signed with blood”.

While recounting his two-year tenure on deputation, he said that he embarked on a trip to Pakistan to meet with Phizo to discuss military missions. He recounted how his birth name — Pfulhoutsu Angami — posed difficulties for Pakistani officials, prompting him to adopt his present ‘simpler’ name.

However, while returning, he was arrested by the Indian Army after being injured in an encounter, following which he had to endure at least seven years of imprisonment across various jails in the region before returning to Nagaland.

For Fulutsu, the true essence of the freedom struggle began with the plebiscite and endures through generations.

Drawing from his extensive experience and witnessing numerous negotiations and confrontations, he asserted that any group deviating from the true spirit of Naga Plebiscite Day or attempting to compromise Naga culture or sovereignty would “be considered as traitors and will never be forgiven”.

Taxation taking its toll

Yenuyi Rhakho, now 86 years old, was around 12 or 13 when the Naga Plebiscite was conducted.

“I was in school so I did not take part, but I remember many of the elders in the village talking about it and participating by putting the thumb impressions,” he recalled.

He went on to say that at present, the Naga people are going through unspeakable suffering as their dream of attaining freedom has not been achieved yet. He further said that taxation is taking its toll on the Naga people.

Reflecting on the Naga political journey, he said that unlike in the past where national workers had to live in hiding and face immense hardships, national workers today have the luxury of relative safety and comfortable lives.

“The Naga people are not asking for money, we are asking for freedom – the freedom to rest and be at peace,” and in this context, national workers should reconsider the amount of taxation they are imposing on the Naga people. This would be a step towards achieving that peace and allowing the Naga people to heal from their past hardships, he opined.