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.
