Reflections on the fourth Naga peace agreement
- Part 2 -

Lt Col (Retd) M Ranjit Singh *

Naga Movement

The first organization in the Naga Hills district was founded in 1918 in Kohima and Mokokchung. This was known as "Naga Club" whose members were Government officials and a few leading headmen of the neighboring villages. The first Tribal Council was formed in 1923 by the Lothas, followed by the Ao Tribal Council in 1928. It was dissolved in 1930 to be reorganised in 1939.

The members of the Statutory Commission under Lord Simon arrived at Kohima on January 10, 1929 and the "Naga Club", the only representative which had a semblance of representing Nagas, presented a memorandum signed by twenty members. The signatories did not represent all the Naga tribes of the District. Only those leaders from Kohima signed the memorandum. There were no representatives of the Aos to meet the Simon Commission. The memorandum stated that at no time were they conquered by their neighbors. They wanted to be left alone to determine their fate.

In the Government of India Act 1919, Naga Hills were declared as backward tracts. The members of the Simon Commission took exception to the word "Backward" and proposed the establishment of "Excluded Areas". This term was later wrongly interpreted by Naga leaders as indicating that Naga Hills was excluded from British India.

The 1935 Government of India Act came into effect from April 1, 1937, and Naga Hills District became "Excluded Areas" within the province of Assam and was administered by the Governor of Assam. After the 1935 Government of India Act with its special provisions of "Excluded Areas", the British Deputy Commissioners continued to administer Naga Hills as benevolent despots.

During the Second World War every single Naga stood by the Allies and helped them, except two brothers, Zapu Phizo and Keviyallay. Both were arrested in Rangoon and interrogated on July 17, 1945, as collaborators of the Japanese. Encouraged by Charles Pawsey, the British Deputy Commissioner and sponsored by Kevichusa Angami, the Naga National Council (NNC) had already come into being sometime immediately after the war with Mayang Nokcha, a teacher, as its President. It was a pro-Government, moderate body, for improving political and economic condition of the Nagas through Constitutional means.

The NNC in the early days had twenty-five members and represented in it were all the tribes of Naga Hills District. Its original political objective was to achieve local autonomy for the hills within the Province of Assam and to train the people for self-government. However, there was soon a rift in the NNC over the issue of complete independence. One group composed of the extremist Angamis led by Phizo demanded complete independence, while those comprising of other tribal leaders were for autonomy within India according to a mutually agreed formula.

The NNC at Wokha on June 19, 1946 submitted a four point memorandum. This was sent to Pandit Nehru by T. Sukhire and Sashimeren Aier. Nehru wrote a reply on August 1, 1946. This is the earliest and most comprehensive policy statement by the great Indian leader. Asserting that Naga territory must continue to form part of India and Assam, when India obtained independence, Nehru said:

"It is obvious that Naga territory in Eastern Assam is much too small to stand by itself politically or economically. It lies between two huge countries, India and China, and part of it consists of rather backward people who require considerable help. When India is independent, as it is bound to be soon, it will not be possible for the British Government to hold on to the Naga territory or any part of it. They would be isolated between India and China. Inevitably, therefore, this Naga territory must form part of India and of Assam with which it has developed such close associations".

Some British administrators dreamt of a scheme to carve out a trust territory comprising of the Naga Hills area of Assam and the upper part of Burma inhabited by the tribal people to form a Crown Colony when India becomes an independent country. This idea was opposed by a later Governor of Assam Sir Andrew Clow, and the Nagas themselves vehemently opposed it though on different grounds.

Within a few months the tone of the NNC changed radically. A memorandum submitted on February 20, 1947, expressed its misgiving that "a constitution drawn up by people who have no knowledge of the Naga Hills and the Naga people will be quite unsuitable and unacceptable to the Naga people". Within three months they submitted another memorandum clarifying that the ten-year interim Government might be a Government of the Naga people with full powers over legislative, executive and judicial matters.

A memorandum was again submitted to the last Viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten in the early part of 1947. No reply was received to this request, but the Nagas were asked to discuss their problem with the Advisory Committee of the Constituent Assembly which would visit Kohima on May 29, 1947. The committee found it impossible to make any recommendation to the Constituent Assembly to the effect that at the end of the ten-year period under the guardianship of India, Nagas should be left free to choose their future.

Sir Andrew Clow paid a visit to the Naga areas on the eve of his departure to England. He said that the British Government was withdrawing from India and it was time for all Indians to decide their own future. However, he clearly advised the people of Naga areas to remain within India to protect their best interests.

Immediately after the visit of the Constituent Assembly, Sir Akbar Hydari, the then Governor, visited Kohima on June 27, 28 and 29, 1947. He had long discussions at Kohima with the NNC. The following tribes were represented at the discussion with the Governor: Angamis, Kacha Nagas, Rengmas, Semas, Lothas, Aos, Sangtams and Chang etc. The result was the "nine-point understanding" between the Governor and the NNC.

The ninth point was the most controversial. It read as follows "9. Period of Agreement: The Governor of Assam as the Agent of the Government of the Indian Union will have a special responsibility for a period of 10 years to ensure the due observance of this agreement; at the end of this period the Naga Council will be asked whether they require the above agreement to be extended for a further period or a new agreement regarding the future of the Naga people arrived at."

Ironically Charles Pawsey, the Deputy Commissioner of Naga Hills did everything to confuse the NNC members about this issue. Those members of the NNC whose knowledge of the English language was limited were persuaded to believe that the wording of the ninth point fully met the aspirations of the Nagas for independence.

In the third week of July 1947, Phizo with a few others from his village met Mahatma Gandhi at the Bhangi Basti in Delhi. The talk was inconclusive.

The NNC met at Mokokchung in August, 1947 and with great difficulty agreed on the ratification of the understanding reached with the Governor in June 1947. The extreme "independence group" of ONLY Angamis wanted to change the wording of Clause 9 so as to allow for right to secede in ten years' time. The Independence group was led by Zapu Phizo. His supporters were mostly his relation.

This group went on to declare independence on August 14, 1947. No other Naga tribes were present during this declaration. They also sent telegrams all over India and to foreign diplomatic missions in Delhi saying that Nagas had declared independence on August 14, 1947.

On the 4th November, the NNC submitted to the Government of India for the modification of the 9thclause of the earlier agreement. They wanted to amend the clause as "The Government of Assam as the Agent of the Governor of Indian Union will have a special responsibility for a period of 10 years to ensure the due observance of this agreement. At the end of this period, Nagas will be free to decide their future".

The NNC also gave an ultimatum that if it was not cooperated by December 6, 1947, then the Naga people will not cooperate with existing Government and Nagaland shall cease to be a part of the Indian Union from that date. This ultimatum was, however, not ratified in a subsequent meeting of NNC. Later the Government of India did not implement the 9 Point Agreement as they believed that the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution gave the Nagas what the agreement had promised.

To be continued...