Kaka D. Iralu
On September 6, as I alighted from my vehicle at Chedema Peace camp to observe the 1964 cease fire day commemoration, a thought suddenly struck me. That thought was: “ Will this be the last Ceasefire day commemoration under peaceful conditions?”
Now, why was I thinking like that when most Nags are expecting a peaceful solution from the present peace talks? Well, in my thinking which is based on official statements by the GOI, it has been clearly stated that the issue of Naga sovereignty will not be included in the peace talks. This brought to an end, the first pre talk agreement that the talks would be “unconditional.” Next, in conformity to pre talk agreement, the talks were continued in foreign countries like Germany and France. But then, the Prime Minister of India invited the NSCN IM to come to India and the talks have since been going on from Indian for the past many years. Next, as long as R.N.Ravi was interlocutor for the PM, the talks were going on at the Prime ministerial level. But now Ravi is both the Interlocutor as well as the Governor of Nagaland. This means India has gone back on all its pre talk agreements if Ravi is going to be an “INTERLOCUTOR GOVERNOR.”
In my two private sessions with R.N Ravi, my personal feelings are that he is a humble gentleman with a deep sense of listening to others. And though he is empowered with tremendous political powers, he never showed any trace of arrogance. I therefore personally believe that, as Governor of Nagaland, Ravi would not indulge in exercising all his overwhelming powers conferred on him by the Constitution of India and The Nagaland Code. Most Nagas, by the way, are not aware of the Nagaland Code which is a damning extra constitutional code book for running the affairs of Nagaland. This Cade book contains all the heinous life denying Acts and Regulations like The Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act 1953, The Assam Disturbed Area Act 1955, and The Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958- which by the way again, have never been withdrawn from Nagaland since 1955-and also the Nagaland Security Regulations Act 1962 etc. (The word Assam here has nothing to do with Assam, but since some Nagas were formerly placed in Assam as a so called Naga Hills district in Assam by the British colonizers, all these Acts and Regulations were promulgated in the name of Assam. AFSPA was however imposed in Assam too in 1960). All these Acts and Regulations takes away whatever fundamental rights and special provisions the Government of India has granted to Naga citizens under their Constitution.
For example, after granting Article 371(A) in the Constitution of India, the same Article in section (b) states that: “The Governor of Nagaland shall have special responsibility with respect to law and order in the state of Nagaland for so long as in his opinion, internal disturbances...continue... It further goes on to state in the same section that: “provided that if any question arises weather any matter is, or is not a matter, as respects with the Governor under this sub clause, is required to Act in the exercise of his individual judgement, the decision of the Governor shall not be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in the exercise of his individual judgement. Now this is absolute power granted to the Governor of Nagaland by the constitution of India to let the Governor do whatever he wants to do with the people of Nagaland. Also, sweeping powers to shift entire Naga villages from one place to another place and many other powers were again granted to the Governor of Nagaland through The Nagaland Security Regulation Act of 1962 under sections like 5A (1) and many other sections. For wider details of “granting” and “taking away” of Naga rights by the Government of India, refer to “Nagaland and India, The Blood and the Tears” under chapter V-6 entitled: “Fundamental Rights, Special Provisions and the Counter nullifying Acts and Regulations in operation in Nagaland pp.345-352.”
Apart from these facts, the GOI through its interlocutor had earlier stated that the present peace agreement would be the final agreement and that those who would surrender can surrender or continue to fight on. Such statement pushes all Naga patriots into a confined corner from where they (Nagas), can neither dig in and disappear under the ground or flee to another country to become refugees in a foreign land. Under such circumstances, one is reminded of the statement of a former Naga Army General who in the mid 1960s gave an order in the following words: “Whether we live or die, so long as the enemy occupies our lands, that long, we are duty bound to defend our country.” We also recollect and remember A.Z. Phizo’s reply to Sir Akbar Hydari when he threatened the Nagas with military invasion of Nagaland. Phizo’s reply was put in the following words: “All-Ho-Akbar, I am certain about one thing- my turbulent Naga people cannot be frightened into submission.” For the past 72 years of defending our Nagaland against giant India and Burma (Myanmar), we Nagas have shown India, Burma and the world that we are indeed a turbulent people who cannot be frightened into submission.
In the past, it took 10 years of very bloody conflict (1954-1964) to finally achieve an international ceasefire between The Government of India (GOI) and The Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN). But despite the cease fire and three peace talks (1964, 1975 and 1997) a solution has evaded both the GOI and FGN who signed the first Ceasefire Agreement and set the ball rolling for peace talks. All the former talks have however failed, because India persistently `refused to address the main issue which was, and still is, the issue of Naga Independence. This Naga independence was declared on 14th August, 1947 one day ahead of India who were granted their independence by Britain on August 15, 1947.
This then, are some of the reasons why I am thinking what I am thinking. I wish to end by stating that, we Nagas have no ill will towards India in spite of whatever some of her politicians and some of her army Jawans have done to us. We are also not unconcerned about India’s security concerns If India wishes to negotiate with us over her security concerns. But as for our sovereignty and independence, we are not asking it from India nor are we ever going to negotiate anything with India simply because there is absolutely nothing to negotiate about. I hope India will believe our thoughts and not push us beyond a certain human tolerance and endurance again and instead compel us to a second open and bloody conflict. Even in the first conflict, despite the fact that Assam Rifles troops and Assam Armed Police had started killing us from 1948 onwards, and even though public stripping, raping and torture and also parading of slain national worker’s dead bodies in public grounds were going on; elders desperately held back their turbulent youth from retaliating knowing that an unarmed population could never withstand an army of well armed 1 lack troops (which increased to over 2 lacks by 1955). Tragically, by 1956, the whole Naga tribes had risen up from their own respective regions and soon Naga and Indian blood smeared the soil of their beloved Nagaland. In the light of all these past events, we sincerely hope that India will not push us again into another such bloodbath. Please also remember that 80 % of Nagas still live in the villages with bitter memories of what was done to them and their fathers in the past. In these villages lives the backbone of the NNC and FGN.
