Tribute Speech of Gen (Retd) Viyalie Metha, Kedahge, Federal Government of Nagaland on the Occasion of the 65th Martyrs Day at Settsü Village

First of all, I want to give thanks to the almighty God for sustaining our nation despite all the tragedies and pains that we have experienced in the past 62 years (1954-2016) of conflict. In this story of pain and suffering, not one single Naga has been spared the agony in one form or the other. The first Naga martyr to be murdered by the Indian Forces was Lt. Zasibito Nagi of Jotsoma village who was killed in broad daylight when a peaceful procession was winding its way across Kohima town on October 18, 1952. Ever since that day, 18th October has been observed as Martyrs Day by our Government to commemorate all the other victims of India’s atrocities against Nagaland. And today we have gathered here at Settsü village to pay our respects to the five persons from your villagers who were massacred on June 16, 1956.

The dead, however precious they are, die and are gone, but it is the living that has to suffer the consequences of their absence throughout their lives. And today, as the nation stands in respectful attention to their sacrifices on this 65th Martyrs Day, I as President of the Federal Government of Nagaland wish to convey the nation’s solidarity and sympathies to all the sufferings that the survivors of the heinous massacre of June 16, 1956 have endured in their lives. The nation salutes the martyrdom of Tsukjemmeri G.B. L.Imdongkokba, S.Temjenwati, Anchaba and Dhanba as well as all their living relatives who are standing with us today. May God be both your protector as well as your vengeance keeper.

On an occasion like this, we also cannot forget the 5 victims of the Longpha massacre who were murdered by the Indian army on June 6, 1956 just a few kilometers from your village. One of the injured, Imshiangba was even buried alive, though the villagers pleaded for his life to be spared. On this occasion, we also remember the 63rd villagers of Yengpang village in the Chang region, who on November 15, 1954 were mostly beheaded by the enemy in a pre dawn attack on the village. We also remember the 11 villagers of Ketsapomi village in the Chakhesang region, who were shot to death as target practice by the Indian soldiers on April 13 1956. Then there were the 9 victims of Matikhrii village in the Pochury region, who were all severely tortured and beheaded on September 6, 1960. The list can go on, but time will not permit me to recount all the horrible atrocities committed by the Indian army.

On this 65th anniversary of our national Martyrs Day, the nation wishes to pay tribute to all our people who have laid down their lives for the nation. We salute all of them with the same words of solidarity and appreciation expressed earlier.

On this solemn day, I also wish to put on record, that in all these many years of conflict, your Ao region has also played its role second to none. As known to every Naga, Mr. Imkongmeren, Vice President of the NNC, was one of the solid pillars of our nation who carried the national responsibilities faithfully to the end of his life. In the national records, he was an unflinching personality that kept alive the spirit of Naga nationalism and patriotism through out all his life.

On a day like this, we cannot recount all the names of our national heroes from the Ao region, but their names are all there in the records and we salute every Private to General as well as every civil worker, both man and woman, who have performed their duties to the best of their abilities during their lifetimes. We recognize their contributions and salute all of them with deep gratitude from the depths of our hearts.

But however great and noble the past may be, we cannot live in the past. We also cannot dream of a bright future without doing what we should do in the present. As for my generation, I think we can humbly claim that we have given our best and our utmost for the nation. Despite our limited education, we had utilized all that we had learned and put it into our national service and defense. We did all these works, so that today’s generation can have a country that they can call their own.

But as long as a foreign flag continues to fly in our lands, the sacrifices of yesterday remain an unfulfilled dream. Therefore, fellow citizens of Nagaland, so long as the enemy continues to occupy our country and also oppress us with heinous laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, that long we are duty bound to resist the enemy and oppose him.

I therefore, call upon this generation to pick up the baton of our political torch and run on until the race for our national objective is achieved. As for me and all my colleagues, we are now all in the sunset of our lives. We therefore hope that the younger generation of well educated and well qualified young men and women, will pick up the baton and carry on, until ultimate victory is finally achieved.

KUKNALIM.