Martyrs’ Day Commemoration Committee
Before the advent of the British in the Naga Country the Nagas lived peacefully in their respective village-states. All were free from one another. Every village-state was administered by the respective village headman and the village elders according to their respective traditional practices.
However, from the beginning of the British advent in the Naga country intermittent wars started with British forces who established its base in 1880. They had drawn the Naga boundaries arbitrarily to suit their administrative convenience in different states like Assam, Naga Hills of Assam (Nagaland), Manipur, NEFA (Arunachal Pradesh) and some in Burma (Myanmar).
At the end of the First World War (1914-1918) a Naga Labor Corps went to France in 1917 as British subjects to render service in the war. On return, some of them felt the need of organizing a body to evoke the spirit of Naga Political consciousness among the Naga Tribes. Thus, the Naga Club was formed by a few persons at Kohima in 1918.
On 10-1-1929 the Naga Club on behalf of all Naga tribes submitted a historic memorandum to the Indian Statutory Commission called as Simon Commission. In the memorandum it was mentioned as 'leave us alone to determine ourselves as in ancient time” and not to lump Together with the rest of India when they left India.
In response to the Memorandum of the 10-1-1929 submitted the British House of Commons declared Naga Hills of Assam as Excluded Area in the Government of British India Act 1935. The Nagas of Manipur too were independent of the Manipur Maharaj before the advent of British. Even after the British set up its administration in Manipur, the tribal were administered by the political department of the British crown. The Manipur Raja and his Darbar administered only the Valley area till 15th August 1947.
At the imminent departure of the British from India. Naga Leaders began to ponder over their political future. Thus the NNC (Naga National Council) was organized in February, 1946 to fight for their rights, land and people.
On the other hand the NNL (Naga National League) was organized at Mao Gate in September, 1946 to consolidate the Nagas in order to bring together all the Naga tribes under one administrative unit with the following persons as working Committee:
- Daiho-President
- Thaiso-Vice President
- Modoli-Secretary
- Hepuni Praji-Vice Secretary
- Kapani Kashipri-Treasurer
- Kholi Puni-Assistance Treasurer
In the same year 1946 the government of British India proposed for creation of North Eastern Frontier Province including Manipur, Tripura and Assam. But one Meitei Hijam Irabot opposed the proposal and quickly formed an organization with all political parties of which he himself as the president and demanded a Legislative Assembly for Manipur and submitted a memorandum in this respect to the Governor General of India. Accordingly the government of British India decided to grant legislative Assembly in Manipur much against the wish of the Manipur Nagas.
At this juncture F.F Pearson, President, Manipur State Darbar , constituted hurriedly the Manipur State Constitution and the Manipur State Hill Peoples (Administration) Regulation Drafting Committee to work out an interim administrative arrangement for Manipur before the lapse of the British Paramountcy against the wish of the tribal of Manipur.
In June 1947, the 9 (Nine) Point Agreement was signed between the Naga National Council (NNC) and Sir Akbar Hydari, the then Governor of Assam. Clause 6 (six) of the Agreement provided to bring together all the Nagas under one administrative unit and clause 9 (Nine) provided the Right to determine their Political future after an interim period of 10 (ten) years but the Government of India renegade on the terms of the agreement.
After 15th August 1947 when the paramountcy was transferred to the Maharaja of Manipur without the consent of the Hill Peoples, the Naga National Council (NNC) openly declared that the Nagas of Manipur will not remain with the Meiteis, since the latter never conquered Naga homeland at any time and expressed their strong desire to merge with the Nagas of the Naga Hills District through boycott of the preparation of Electoral rolls in Naga areas.
The NNL submitted to Sardar Patel, the then Deputy Prime Minister of India on 24th January 1948 mentioning that the Nagas of Manipur will accept nothing short of consolidation of contiguous Naga areas under one administrative unit by the government through immediate Provincial Authority.
Shortly after, another memorandum dated 9th March 1948. was submitted by NNL to the Ministry of States, Government of lndia stating that since no response to the persistent submission made to the successive Governors of Assam and Government of India had been forthcoming and also because innumerable tactics of the Manipur State to suppress the demand of the Nagas and other hill peoples a “No Tax Campaign" would be launched and also would desist payment of revenue to Manipur State but would pay the same to any such authority as might be determined by the Provincial Government acting on behalf of the Central Government.
In spite of the democratic demands for consolidation of contiguous Naga areas under one administrative unit and the explicit opposition to the Manipur State Draft Constitution by the Tribal Representatives (A. Daiho and Tiankhan) in the General Election under the Manipur State Constitution Act. 1947 was held on 27th June 1948. But the Mao-Maram (Mao, Poumai, Maram, Thangal) and the Zeliangrong Nagas of Tamenglong boycotted the election.
Thus the “No Tax Campaign” was launched when Rajkumar Priyobrata Singh was the Chief Minister of Manipur. The Nagas of Manipur refused to pay the annual house tax to the Government of Manipur and under the aegis of the NNL submitted their house tax to Charles Pawsey, DC of Naga Hills District in 1948.
The immediate cause of the mass uprising of the Mao-Maram Public in August, 1948 was the imposition of “Export Tax” on potato growers of Mao area by the Maharaja of Manipur. The Government of Manipur prohibited selling out potatoes beyond Mao Gate to Kohima, Dimapur and other parts of India without payment of the tax. The Mao-Maram Nagas under the leadership of A. Daiho protested against this illegal tax on Potato growers and went on mass rally on the NH. 39 to attain the following two demands:
- Merger of Naga areas of Manipur with Naga Hills District.
- Complete withdrawal of tax levied by the Maharaja in Council of Mao local products exported beyond Mao Gate.
The Maharaja Budhachandra dispatched Manipur Police twice consecutively to arrest A. Daiho but failed as the police dare not arrest him in August 1948. On the third time a contingent of 4 Assam Rifles was sent with sophisticated automatic guns to arrest him. The Assam Rifles took Position in and around the Mao Inspection Bunglow in war like fashion and immediately fired upon the peaceful demonstrators who were blocking the road leading to the residence of A. Daiho to prevent them from arresting him. In the process of firing the following persons were killed on the spot.
Name Village Remarks
- Mahrili Lohrü Kalinamai Class-III, Student.
- Modo Kholi Kalinamai Class-II, Scholarship holder student
- Asüsü Hepuni Punanamei Volunteer
The following persons were grievously injured:
Name Village Remarks
- Daikho Hrüsho Ch. Khullen Volunteer
- Kaisü Mathibo Punanamei Volunteer (Succumbed to bullet injury)
- Obow Adani Punanamei Village Elder (Succumbed to bullet injury)
- Obow Ashihrü Punanamei Student (Still alive)
Besides this, many students, children, men and women were injured wounded by bullets, lathis, rifle butts etc. of Manipur Police and Assam Rifles.
