Nagas have their own history and every aspect of it does not admit of distortion. The endless vicious attempts made by Indians at distorting the Naga national perspectives and keeping the Naga people painted out quite other than themselves have misinformed the outside world and much misgiving has been created for years. Yet decisiveness of falsehood on the issue remains to be seen. In spite of the adverse years of the past, we are convinced that the reality that is with the Nagas is now becoming increasingly clearer to many around the world. The truth is with us and it shall stand untarnished beyond the interests of the cold-war power politics that has overshadowed the magnitude of the Indo-Naga case for scores of years. The truth we hold is the historical facts which India dare not face except taking recourse to the boundless vain argument that India has inherited Nagalim from the British Imperialists, and the brazen claim made after 18 years that Naga "accepted Indian Constitution" by installing a puppet state in 1963 under sheer force of well above two hundred thousand armed forces using a few traitors who were also then in the pay of the Indian Government. To be clear, therefore, of the nature of the long standing issue, a brief historical background and the circumstances which had led the invading Indian and Burmese armed forces and resisting Naga Army into confrontation for such a long period, notwithstanding our all-out efforts to avert it at every stage of opportunity, need to be explained first in their plain actualities.Free Nagalim lies in between India, China and Burma. We are of distinct Mongoloid race who migrated to these present Naga inhabited compact areas from the east a few thousand years ago. We are the first settlers of the land. Today we have altogether 16 major tribes and 20 smaller tribes with a population of a little more than 3 millions. The size of the Naga inhabited areas is approximately 47,000 sq. miles.
Nagas as a distinct nation remains unconquered, unadministered and independent from time immemorial, though to our surprise, this reality is hardly known to the outside world. Only a small portion of its territory entered the recorded history of the British Imperialists in 1832 when some Naga Villages were invaded and occupied by the British Imperialist forces. This year also marks their war of resistance against the political campaigns and military occupation, division and destruction of their land and institutions by the invading forces. The fight took many years. But by 1881 British had taken over several parts of south-west and the occupied portion of the Naga territory was declared a "British District" with Kohima as its administrative center. The British imperialists ruled the occupied south-west areas for some 67 years.
THE SIMON COMMISSION
In 1929 Nagas demanded the restoration of their independence when the British withdrew their power from India and Burma. On January 10, 1929 the Simon Commission (The Indian Statutory Commission) under the Chairmanship of Sir John Simon with Clement Atlee as one of the members of the Commission visited Kohima to ascertain the wishes of the Nagas on their political future. The Commission asked the Nagas whether they would join the coming "New Reformed Scheme" which afterwards became the Government of India Act 1935. In a memorandum submitted to the Commission the members of the Naga Club, the only all-Naga Organization existing then, speaking on behalf of the Nagas, demanded that, "we should not be thrust to the mercy of the people who had never conquered us themselves and to whom we were never subjected, but to leave us alone". Under the Government of India Act 1935 which was passed on the recommendations of the Simon Commission the "Naga Hills District" was declared to be treated as "Excluded Areas" on March 3, 1935. It was also stated that no Act of the Federal Legislature or of Assam Legislature was to apply to the Naga Hills. Nagas were kept as the special responsibility of the Governor of the Province in his capacity as the Crown representative. Thus, the Naga area was not brought within the fold of Indian policy. The political aspiration of the Nagas for self-determination was involuntary and spontaneous. A memorandum was submitted again to the British Cabinet Mission on April 9, 1946, clearly stating that the Naga future would never be bound by any arbitrary decision of the British government and that no recommendation would be accepted without consultation. Further, the Naga National Council requested His Majesty's government to appoint India to act as the guardian power over Nagalim for a period of 10 years at the end of which the question of the Naga political future would be left to the Naga people themselves to decide. THE 9-POINT AGREEMENT In June 1947, the Governor of Assam, Sir Akbar Hydari, acting on behalf of the Indian Constituent Assembly, negotiated an agreement with the Naga National Council in meetings held in June 27, 28 and 29, 1947 in Kohima. This agreement came to be known as the "9-Point Agreement" or "10-Year Akbar Hydari Agreement". According to the agreement Nagas had to control the whole affairs of themselves for a period of 10 years at the end of which Nagas should be asked to decide - whether to join India or to be free to determine their own future. But after a few weeks of signing the agreement, to the surprise of the Nagas, one evening Sir Akbar Hydari warned several Nagas that if the Naga Hills District refused to join the Indian Union, Indian would use her force against them.
GANDHIJI'S PROMISE OF NAGA INDEPENDENCE
There was one thing to be done and it was to appeal directly to the Father of the Indian Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the one man who above all others was shaping the destiny of the sub-continent in the name of peace and liberty. A Naga delegation went to Mahatma Gandhi at the Bhangi Colony in Delhi on July 19, 1947 to tell him that they were resolved to declare their independence a day before India would do so, on August 14th, 1947 and to ask him for his help. He told the delegation, "Nagas have every right to be Independent. We did not want to live under the domination of the British and they are now leaving us. I want you to feel that India is yours. I feel that the Naga Hills are mine as much as they are yours, but if you say, it is mine', then the matter must stop there. I believe in the brotherhood of man, but I do not believe in forced unions. If you do not wish to join the Union of India, nobody will force you to do that. The Congress government will not do that". When the Naga delegates pointed out that Sir Akbar Hydari was threatening to do so exactly that, Gandhi exclaimed, "Sir Akbar is wrong. He cannot do that. I will come to the Naga Hills; will ask them to shoot me first before one Naga is shot". But Gandhi did not live to carry out his promise. He was assassinated. The Constitution of India claimed to incorporate Nagalim within the Indian Union which was nothing else than a clear act of self arrogation.
DECLARATION OF NAGA INDEPENDENCE AUGUST 14, 1947
According to plans and preparations, Naga independence was declared on August 14, 1947, one day before India became independent. The government of India and the United Organization were informed by cable to which UNO was kind enough to send an acknowledgment.
The Cable runs :
Benign Excellency (.) Kindly put on record that Nagas will be independent (.) Discussion with India are being carried on to that effect (.) Nagas do not accept Indian Constitution (.) The right of the people must prevail regardless of size (.)Naga National Council
In spite of the declaration of independence it was decided by the Naga National Council that the machinery which had been set up to run a parallel Government should not be put into motion after carefully considering the statement of mahatma Gandhi (July 19, 1947). The NNC felt that the setting up of parallel government might lead to violence and also the Nagas did not wish to lose the sympathy of Mahatma Gandhi which they felt they would, once violence was let loose.
