The Naga National Council (NNC) would like to reiterate our stand once again on the political journey of our people. Our pioneers adopted Non-violence policy. But, taking advantage of our policy, the Indian army started committing chain of horrible crimes against our people and, therefore, we, at one time, set up Naga army for self-defence. To us, India is not a democratic country, rather it is military dictatorship with no difference of what we had heard about Idi Amin of Uganda at one time. The Indian army have been committing horrible crimes against the Naga people for the last more than six decades and the recent Oting incident is a grim reminder of that chain of crimes committed to the Naga people by the Indian army.
While conveying my deepest sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families of the patriots, the Oting villagers and the Konyak people, I would also like to invite my fellow Naga citizens to retrospect once again the political history of our people in brief.
We know that the first ever recorded political history of the Nagas is the Memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission in 1929 in which Nagas made our stand very clear to the Commission. Nagas asked the Commission to place Naga Hills outside the Reformed Scheme on the ground that we have nothing in common with the plain people, means Indians. Therefore, they have asked the Commission that if the British were leaving, “we should not be thrust to the mercy of the people who could never subjugate us, but leave us alone to determine ourselves as in ancient time.” Naga Hills was only a small portion of the present Naga areas occupied by the British Colonials only during the last part of Nineteen century. The Commission having clear understanding about us, placed even that small portion of Naga ancestral land outside the Reformed Scheme and the rest of the Naga ancestral areas were identified as “Excluded Areas.” You will find this on old maps. Even Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India said, “The tribal areas are defined as being those long frontiers of India which are neither part of India nor Burma, nor of Indian states nor of any foreign power”. Nehru said this on August 19, 1946 in connection with the proposed British colony of Couplan Plan. Nagaland is not part of India. And this is exactly the position of the whole region and nothing could be more precise than this historic testimony from Mr. Nehru. The British Government left India without any decision and the Indian Government then launched its aggression in Naga ancestral land since then. It is a clear case of aggression resulting in the dead of countless precious Naga lives in the hands of Indian army, Oting incident being one of such ugly incidents.
Nehru and U Nu, the first Prime Ministers of India and Burma came to Kohima in 1953 to divide Naga areas into India and Burma. Accordingly, officers from both the countries were sent and surveyed the area on helicopter and divided the Naga areas into India and Burma without the consent of the Naga people. NNC do not accept and can never give recognition to these imaginary boundaries. Nagas will continue to stand as a people living in contiguous area called Nagaland. The presence of a vast number of Indian army in Nagaland is a clear case of aggression. They are waging war against the Nagas. In the fifties, Indian army invaded the then Tuensang district which is now ENPO area. The proof of this is also found in B.N.Mullik’s book “My Years with Nehru” on page 308 which says, “Troops moved into Tuensang by Oct. 1955 and the war with the Nagas started from thence.” B.N. Mullik was Chief of Indian Intelligence who worked closely with Nehru. In fact, war with the Nagas in this area started before. Take for example, the mass massacre in Yengpang Village on 15th Nov., 1954. All living beings in that small village were wiped out in two hours time. On Nov. 27, 1954, Indian army destroyed Chingmie village. Chenimong (23) and Shemshimnong (25) were crucified. Yemkhotong (35) had his thigh bored through with bayonet and a core was passed through the hole to bind him to a post and after being flayed , he was soaked with petrol and burned alive. Indian army committed heinous crimes against innocent and unarmed villagers wherever they went.
One wonders how the moral of Indian army could allow them to commit such ugly crimes against humanity which any decent human being could not even imagine in their wildest dream. All villages in Nagaland, except few towns, were burnt down including granaries. Some villages were burnt down not only once but a number of times as time passed. Many villagers were starved to death. Torture method of all kinds were adopted such as beating, pouring hot water on the people, pouring cold water to the people in winter; putting chilli powder on the secret parts of men as well as women, gang raping, applying electric shocks, hanging upside down and beating, etc. etc.; imposing curfew, grouping of villages etc. They used Jet fighters to bomb many places. War tanks are regular scene going up and down every day. Such a big and powerful nation, with all her military might fighting against a small helpless people is shame.
Take for example, on August 26, 1960, an Indian Air Force Dakota plane engaged in dropping arms and ammunition and ration to the Indian troops stationed at Phor was shot down by the Naga Home Guards and pilots and all crew members were captured. During this period, one Gavin Young, a British Journalist sneaked into Nagaland from Burma because journalists were never allowed to come to Nagaland by the Indian Government during that time. Gavin Young saw it with his own eyes; he had interview with the captured pilots and left. He published a small booklet entitled, “The Naga Unknown War” It was indeed unknown to the outside world, not even to the Indian public what was going on in Nagaland at that period of time. The 4 pilots were released on May, 1962, by an order issued by the Federal Government of Nagaland. They were first handed over to the Burmese Govt. for onward handing over to International Red Cross Society and finally to the Govt. of India. Capt. Anand Sinha, one of the captives who became the personal pilot to Assam Governor later was a living witness who visited Nagaland and told the Naga people how they were treated well by the Naga Home Guards while they were under captivity. The captives were all released in good health.
While Naga army was giving good treatment to their captives in the jungle, the Indian army was not. On 6th Sept,1960, the combined forces of Sikhs and Gorkha Regiment under the command of Lt. General Thomas reached Matikhrü and surrounded the village before dawn while the whole village was sleeping. At dawn, they ordered all the villagers to gather together in the playground. They separated the menfolk and bind their hands from behind, brought them to the middle of the ground while children and womenfolk were at the side of the ground. The menfolk were then beheaded one after another in the full view of their wives and children. The wives and children fled to the jungle. They heard firing again in the village. Nobody knew what had happened after they fled, they only saw that their village was burnt down by the army, the survived wives and children abandoned the village for several years.
On 27thFebruary, 1956, Thepfucha, the Chief of Mima village and his assistant Lhoupizhü were shot dead in the village. Their hands were tied together, their legs were also tied together; put a bamboo through the tied hands and legs to be carried by two persons. Their dead bodies were brought to Kohima market for exhibition. But that had, contrary to their expectation to frighten the public, created bitter anger among the population.
One Naga Home Guard, Kevidelhoulie came to see her sister in the field one day. He was surrounded and shot while he was trying to escape. They beheaded him and forced his sister to carry his head to the Kohima Police Station. When they reached the police station they rolled down the head and asked his sister whose head was it. Ghastly! Which the civilised world can never expect. On August 12, 1956, nine young people between 24-37 years of age were arrested at Lakhuni, bound them together, put thatch over them, poured some petrol and burnt them. All these and many,many more atrocities committed by the Indian army against the Naga people but there will be no end if we go on telling or writing one after another.
Records show that NNC and Federal Government of Nagaland had written many letters to the successive Indian Prime Ministers, to the United Nations, to Human Right Commission etc. Yet, the problem here in Nagaland still remains unknown to the Indian public and the outside world. But since our stand is just, we are not discouraged. Our objective, as propounded by our leader, A.Z.Phizo, is to be a man among men and a nation among nations. Our objective in life is to live in harmony with our fellow men and be of service to others at all times. We are against any form of violence and, therefore, in a peaceful way, we will continue to tell others how we have been suffering for too long. I assure our people that we will continue to fight for our birthright and our fundamental right, because we are born free as citizens of any other nations.
President, Naga National Council, Gen. (Rtd) Thinoselie M. Keyho
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