Like many others in the region, Nagas went through a period of
British rule. However, Britain did not extend its colonial administrative
system into Naga areas, and their Hindu vassalages Ahom, Cachar and
Manipur- could not assimilate the Nagas. Britain understood the
futility of trying to impose a feudal bureaucratic governance system on
the Nagas and instead chose to recognise Naga village councils as
legitimate authorities.
In 1929, when Britain began preparations to leave Asia, Naga Club
(the earliest Naga organization formed by school educated Nagas in 1918)
made it known to Britain that Hindu and Muslim based societies had very
little in common with Naga society. Further, one hates the Naga for taking
pork and the other for taking beef. It was clearly impossible for them to
live together in harmony; and Nagalim should be left on its own.
As part of the arrangement for the transfer of power, Britain brought
the Interim Government of India and the Naga National Council [NNC] to
work out the terms of their relationship after British withdrawal. In June
1947 the Government of India and the NNC reached The Nine Points
Agreement. The Agreement envisaged a Protected State in Nagalim under NNC
with India as the Guardian Power for ten years after which the Nagas were
free to decide their future.
The Indian Constituent Assembly, through mental acrobatics, arrived
at the conclusion that The Nine Points Agreement means "district autonomy
within the Indian Constitution to be implemented unilaterally by India ['
The Naga National Council's agreement with Sir Hydari Akbar and Shri
Bordoloi
came up before the Constituent Assembly, or rather before the
Special Committee of the Constituent Assembly. All the six Schedules
attached to the Constitution were largely drawn up with that agreement in
view
If it is felt that the six Schedules do not go far enough, it is open
to Parliament to amend them whenever it likes', Nehru stated during debate
on the Naga Hills situation in the Lok Sabha, 23 August, 1956 ]".
India made preparations to occupy Nagalim by force. When this
was brought to Gandhi's attention on 19 July 1947, he declared that the
Nagas had every right to be independent of India if they choose to do
so. Further, he declared that he would oppose India with
his life if it decides to take Nagalim by force.
Subsequently, NNC announced its decision to declare Nagalim
independent on 14 August 1947 and communicated it to the United Nations,
Britain, the Dominion /Interim Government of India, and the Commonwealth
Relations Office.
India disregarded the announcement for independence calling
the NNC, "the voice of the misguided few". India turned down Naga's
invitation to hold referendum; and also refused to respect the out come of
the Plebiscite [99.9% voted for independence] organized by the Nagas
themselves on 16 May 1951. Instead, India sent its armed forces to
destroy, by any means, the material and spiritual basis of Naga peoples'
independence.
NNC set up the Federal Government of Nagaland in March 1956 with a
military wing to drive out Indian forces. In the next three months, the
Naga army drove out Indian forces from Nagalim barring a few points. India
brought in more than a hundred thousand troops in re-enforcement and
occupied Nagalim. Between 1958 and 1959, the occupation army rounded up
tens of thousands of Nagas and forced them into concentration camps built
across the Naga Hills. Many perished in these concentration camps from
water contamination and lack of food.
In 1964, at the intervention of Bertrand Russell and Rev. Michael
Scott [an old friend of Gandhi] India agreed to a cease-fire for peaceful
settlement. However, the talks broke off, in 1967, without an agreement.
In 1975 India imposed a surrender pact, called the Shillong Accord,
on some of the Federal Government leaders who had grown alienated from the
people. However, the resistances forces regrouped again under the NNC
General Secretary, Th.Muivah and Isak Chishi, Foreign Secretary in the
Federal Government of Nagaland. They subsequently formed NSCN (the
National Socialist Council of Nagalim) in 1980.
Until the arrival of the Independent India, Burmese leaders did not
show interest in Nagalim. However, in 1953, the Indian Prime Minister,
Nehru brought Burmese Prime Minister, U Nu to Kohima, a Naga centre, and
began the process of dividing Nagalim between the two nations.
In recent times, the Military Regime in Burma has been active in
several parts of Eastern Nagalim pillaging the villages, laying land mines
in and around the village after setting fire to the houses, setting up
military bases and imposing ban on Christianity and destroying churches,
forcibly convert young Nagas to Buddhism.
With NSCN in the leadership, the Naga national movement quickly
gained tremendous strength. By the middle of 1980s India's forces, both
military and political, began to suffer set backs, one after the other. It
brought India's leaders to the realization that the military actions could
not solve the problem. India began to consider non-military options and in
1995 invited NSCN to begin political negotiations at the highest level
without conditions at a mutually agreed third country. After two years of
behind the scene preparations, they announced on 25 July 1997 their
decision to enter a cease-fire agreement effective from 1st August 1997.
The Government of India and the National Socialist Council of
Nagaland entered a cease-fire agreement on 1st August 1997 to begin
political negotiations at the highest level without conditions at a
mutually agreed third country. The talks encountered innumerable
difficulties. However, both sides have showed increasing confidence in the
peace-process. In a joint communiqué with the NSCN (Amsterdam, 11 July
2002), India recognized the unique history and situation of the Nagas.
Further more, the Government of India renewed the invitation of the Prime
Minister to the leaders of the NSCN to come to India to expedite the peace
dialogue.
