Senior advocate Takuyaba asserted that Nagas were not demanding sovereignty but defending their sovereignty, stressing that without protecting rights of Naga nation, rights of its citizens could not be protected.
Addressing the ‘59th Indo-Naga Ceasefire Day’ at Chedema peace camp Tuesday, he urged Nagas to realise that they could not exist without the existence of the nation, claiming “Our motherland is a divine gift and not our creation”.
He said Nagas’ main objective was to become a member of the United Nations by upholding NNC principle of non-violence and not to destroy it for one’s petty interest. He recalled the cause of ceasefire between Government of India and FGN on September 6, 1964.
Narrating the sequence of events, Takuyaba mentioned that Naga voluntary plebiscite was conducted on March 16, 1951 in the then Naga Hills district by and Naga National Council with due notice to the UN and Centre.
In the plebiscite, he said the Nagas had voted in favour of independence by an overwhelming 99.9%, as a confirmation of August 14, 1947 and in the process, Hongking Government of Free Eastern Nagas and NNC formed Federal Government of Nagaland in 1956.
However, he alleged that Indian Army invaded Nagaland in 1955 as noted by then director Indian Bureau BN MuIlik in his book “My years with Nehru” and a series of draconian laws like The Assam Disturbed Area Act 1955, Tuensang Frontier Division (Undesirable Persons Regulation) Act 1962, The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1955, Nagaland Security Regulation Act 1962, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967, etc, were imposed in Nagaland, most of which had not been lifted till date.
Under these draconian laws, he alleged that houses were burnt to ashes in all villages in 1956, with even a havildar being empowered to shoot at any suspected person without trial, adding more than one lakh innocent civilians were shot dead before ceasefire, women raped, innocent people tortured by putting chilly into their private parts or beaten to death with sticks, etc.
Takuyaba said the laws had not been lifted till date, which resulted in the killing of 14 innocent civilians last year in Konyak region by Indian armed forces.
Seeing the satanic rule of Indian Army, he claimed that at the initiative of Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC), a ceasefire agreement between GoI and Federal Government of Nagaland was reached on September 16, 1964.
However, he mentioned that GoI had unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire agreement on August 31, 1972, though Federal Government of Nagaland and NNC were holding on to the agreement till date.
Referring to sovereignty of Naga nation, the senior advocate asserted that the ceasefire agreement of 1964 was the only valid agreement made by competent authority, adding that other agreements were conflict agreement (agreement without mandatory authority), which were void under the existing provision of the world.
The programme was chaired by NBCC school coordinator Imlong Chang, while commissioning and blessings were proposed by NBCC administrative assistant Rev Dingshungngamang Kamei.