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Today, the 18th October, is an important milestone in the history of the Naga people; for, this day had been chosen by our leaders to remind ourselves the sacrifices made by thousands of Naga patriots in defence of our motherland. Those patriots have sacrificed their lives for the cause which the Naga people hold so dear throughout the ages. This is also a day to celebrate their lives, their will and their goal for which they have sacrificed their lives. We have to celebrate their courage and their determination. Their sacrifices will not go in vain.
Naga National Council is an institution for the Nagas. From the very beginning, NNC policy is non-violence. Naga people are traditionally democratic. Naga Hills which was a district in Assam during the British regime was only a small portion of Naga Territory occupied by the British in the year 1928, the major portion of Nagaland was outside the British rule. Every Naga is aware that the Naga Club submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission on 10th January, 1929 at Kohima during the visit of the Commission to this part of the world. In that memorandum, our elders had mentioned in clear term that Naga are not Indians and Nagaland is not part of India. They told the Commission that Naga territory should not be included in the reformed scheme because they were informed that the Commission was coming to find out the mind of the people. Accordingly, the Commission placed the Naga Hills under British India as excluded area in ‘The Government of India Act 1935’.
The Naga elders declared their mind in the real democratic process that Nagas are not Indians and Nagaland is not part of India. They mentioned only the plain truth to the Commission that they should never be thrust to the mercy of those people who could never subjugate them, but to leave them alone to determine their own future as in ancient time.
When British Govt. was about to leave her territories in this part of the globe without giving any decision on the matter, Naga people declared Independence one day ahead of India and informed the United Nation. The British people left without giving the slightest heed to the right of the Naga people and as a result, the Indian Government occupied all the areas previously covered by the British India map; that has become the bone of contention between India and the Naga people all these years. And for this problem created by the British, Naga people suffer for the last almost five decades in the hands of Indian army. But NNC, in order to prove our stand to the outside world, conducted a voluntary Plebiscite on 16th may 1951, the result of which was 99.9% in favour of Naga sovereignty. Since then, the Indian Government started creating situations one after another to repudiate that stand of the Naga people. For example, in a peaceful rally at Kohima on 18th Oct, 1952, a police officer shot dead Zasibito of Jatsoma Village, a prominent Naga leader in the main street of Kohima. He is the first martyr. Since then, the situation worsened day by day, first under the Assam Police and towards the end of 1953, the Indian Army started coming into Naga area and started terrorising the Naga people in which thousands of Naga villages were burnt down to ashes including granaries; thousands of Naga people were thrown into jails; thousands were incapacitated because of inhuman methods of torture they suffered in the hands of Indian army. The granaries were destroyed forcing the Naga people to starve and, as a result, many simple villagers died of hunger; women were rape, Churches desecrated but the world did not know what was going on in this part of the globe during that time. Above all, thousands of Naga people were killed. NNC finding difficult to tolerate all these sufferings decoded to set up the Federal Government of Nagaland with its army for self defence. FGN was therefore set up, at a place called Parashen in Rengma area on 22nd March, 1956. Naga National Flag was hoisted for the first time on this day at Parashen.
For many years, all these sufferings of the Naga people were not known even to the Indian people. In 1960, a journalist named Gavin Young entered Nagaland through Burma and saw what was going on in Nagaland during those days. Therefore, in his report about his journey, he called it ‘The Unknown War’. He talk with the pilots and crew members of a Dakota which was shot down by the Naga army who were then prisoners of Naga army. These people told Govin Young the kind treatment given to them quite contrary to their expectation. Later on, these people were released through International Red Cross Society.
The Naga people had faced horrible situation in the hands of a barbarian type of army for many years; it was a situation where human right was out of place. They have committed crimes against our people which the civilized world will refuse to believe. Matikhru massacre, Yampang massacre etc., are some of the glaring examples of what we called here the barbarian act of the Indian army.
In spite of all these inhuman treatment, the Naga people survived and for which we are grateful to God, the Almighty. While remembering the sacrifices made by our patriots in the past for all of us, let us put our trust in Him and continue to hold our stand till we achieve our goal.
‘KUKNALIM’
(K. Vadeo)
Kedahge, Federal Government of Nagaland