The Naga Movement is the oldest movement for self-determination in India and is also the longest surviving insurgency. The movement began during the British rule and continued after 1947. Even after the formation of a separate state of Nagaland in 1963, the movement didn't die down. The presence of multiple factions representing the Naga interests makes the process of self-determination complicated. The distribution of Naga population in various states of the North-East such as Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam, and Nagaland, as well as in adjoining Myanmar further trivializes the issue of carving the 'Greater Nagalim' or a separate state for all the Nagas in the region.

Naga Peace Accord

In August 2015, Government of India signed a Framework Agreement with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) IM to resolve the long-standing Naga issue in a peaceful manner.

Looking back into history

• The Naga issue dates back to the colonial period.
• In 1826, British annexed Assam and in 1881 Naga hills too became part of British India. The Naga resistance started way back in 1918 when Naga club was formed. Since then Naga s have been asserting their distinct ethnic identity and demanding an independent homeland to preserve their culture. In 1929, Naga club submitted a memorandum to Simon Commission in which it emphasized that Nagas and Indians do not share a common history and hence are separate and hence Nagaland should be given independent status.
• In 1946 A. Z. Phizo reorganized and renamed Naga club as Naga National Council (NNC). In 1947, Phizo declared Nagaland as an independent state. The NNC resolved to establish a sovereign Naga state and conducted a referendum in 1951 in which 99 percent voted for establishing an independent Naga state.
• In 1952, Phizo formed the underground Naga Federal Government (NFG) and the Naga Federal Army (NFA). In 1958, Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was enacted by the Government of India. It sent in the Indian Army to crush the insurgency. In 1960, a Sixteen Point Agreement was signed between members of the Naga People s Congress and the Government of India. As part of this agreement, a new state of Nagaland was created in 1963. This new state could not meet the aspirations of Nagas as many Naga areas were left outside the state. In 1975, Shillong Agreement was signed. According to this agreement, NNC and NFG agreed to give up arms and accept Indian Constitution.
• A group of NNC members led by Thuingaleng Muivah refused to accept the agreement and formed National Socialist Council of Nagaland in 1980 with S. S. Khaplang. In 1988, NSCN split into NSCN (IM) and NSCN (K) following a violent clash. The period from the 1950s to 1990s was a turbulent period with insurgency and counterinsurgency resulting in civilian deaths.
• Following the split, NSCN (IM) emerged as a major insurgent group often termed as the mother of all insurgencies in the region. In 2007, the ceasefire agreement between NSCN (IM) and Government of India was extended indefinitely.
• However, NSCN (K) suffered severe blows due to its organizational structure and further splits.

Heraka Movement (1929-1933)

It was a religious movement initially led by Haipou Jadonang and later came under the leadership of Rani Gaidinliu. The movement sought to establish the legendary Naga Kingdom by uniting all the Naga tribes. The movement also resulted in the growth of a political uprising against the British. Realizing the threat, the movement was crushed by the British.

The Naga Club

• It was founded in 1918 by a group of erudite Nagas with assistance from British officials. It consisted of Naga soldiers who fought during the World War I on the side of Britain. During the War, these Naga soldiers developed a sense of unity and solidarity while fighting on distant lands. On their return, they created an organization which worked for unity and friendship among all the Naga tribes.
• Members of Naga Club submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission in 1929 urging them to provide Nagas with a choice of self-determination after the departure of the British from India. It also demanded the exclusion of Nagas from the proposed constitutional reforms in British India. Naga Club laid the foundation for the formation of Naga National Council in 1946, under the leadership of Angami Zapu Phizo.

Naga National Council

• NNC under Phizo remained the foremost organization in the Naga Movement after 1947. Phizo had fought on the side of Indian National Army against the allied forces. The NNC was the first to raise the demand for a separate territorial entity comprising Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Myanmar (Burma). On 14th August 1947, the NNC declared Nagaland an independent state. This declaration led to the arrest of Phizo in 1948, on the grounds of instigating a rebellion against the Indian state.
• Upon his release in 1950, Phizo became the President of NNC. The NNC had conducted a referendum in 1951 in which 99 percent voted for Naga independence. He met with the then Prime Minister Nehru in 1952 and submitted the demand for Naga independence which got rejected. Disappointed with the process of negotiation, NNC under Phizo gave a call for an armed rebellion to sway the opinion of the government of India.
   
• Phizo had established the Naga Federal Government (NFG) and the Naga Federal Army (NFA) to lead the armed struggle. But the government responded to force with force and sent in the Army. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was passed in 1958 to provide a free hand to the security forces to deal with Naga insurgency. Phizo had to escape to Bangladesh (East Pakistan) and then to London, from where he continued to support the Naga Movement until his death in 1990.

National Socialist Council of Nagaland

• Though the peace talks began almost simultaneously with the resistance, they didn't yield any tangible results. The Naga Hills district of Assam was upgraded into the state of Nagaland in 1963 by adding a part of North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA). Finally, a breakthrough was achieved when the government got a faction of the NNC to sign an agreement known as the Shillong Accord in 1975. Under this, the NFG/NFA agreed to give up arms and adopt peaceful methods for the cause of Naga movement.
• However, some hardcore NNC militants were disappointed with the stance taken by NNC. Under the leadership of Thuingaleng Muivah, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN)was established in 1980, which included leaders like Isak Chisi Swu and S S Khaplang. But differences started emerging within the NSCN, which led to its slipt into two factions, one led by Swu and Muivah (NSCN-IM), and the other led by Khaplang (NSCN-K).
• NSCN-IM emerged as the leading organization of the Naga movement with the death of Phizo. It propounded the demand for "Greater Nagalim" comprising "all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas" including Nagaland. This includes several districts in the adjoining states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur, as also a large tract of Myanmar. The combined area of Greater Nagalim encompasses close to 1.2 lakh sq.km. It is for this reason that the adjoining states of Nagaland remain wary of the peace process with NSCN which might lead to loss of their own territory.
• However, it's different from the earlier demand of the NNC for a sovereign Naga state. The NSCN-IM only wants an autonomous Naga state within the Indian Union, encompassing all the Naga inhabited areas. It is interesting to note that the Nagaland Assembly had endorsed the idea of Greater Nagalim as many as five times in the past with the most recent resolution being passed in 2015.

Timeline of Major Events

1918: Formation of Naga club 1929: Recommendation to Simon Commission emphasizing the need for Naga independence. 1946: Naga National Council (NNC) was formed by A. Z. Phizo 1947: Phizo declared Nagaland as an independent state on August 14, 1947 1958: Counterinsurgency operations through AFSPA by Government of India 1960: Sixteen point Agreement between Naga People s Congress and Government of India 1963: Formation of independent state Nagaland 1975: The Shillong Agreement. NNC and NFG agreed to give up arms 1980: Formation of NSCN 1988: Split in NSCN. NSCN (IM) and NSCN (K) were formed. 1997: Ceasefire agreement with NSCN (IM) 2007: Indefinite extension of the ceasefire agreement between NSCN (IM) and Government of India 2015: Naga Peace Accord

What are the demands of NSCN (IM)?

NSCN(IM) demands a Greater Nagalim comprising of all contiguous Naga areas spread across the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur along with a large tract in Myanmar (before independence, the British demarcated Indo- Burma boundary. Due to which some Naga areas went into Myanmar). The Greater Nagalim area as demanded by NSCN (IM) comprises of 1,20, 000 sq km while the present Nagaland state is of 16,257 sq km. The Nagaland Assembly has endorsed the Greater Nagaland demand as many as five times.

Why is it tough to find a solution?

Granting a Greater Nagalim affects the territorial integrity of states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and their political aspirations. They also claim some areas of Myanmar. Naga areas in these states consist of Nagas along with several other tribes who have their own culture and claim this region to be their homeland. Nagas are divided into numerous factions and violence was seen occurring among them. The main challenge for the Government of India is to meet expectations of the Nagas without hurting the interests of surrounding states.

Peace Process

• The Naga-Akbar Hydari Agreement was signed in 1947 which recognized the right of Nagas to develop according to their own wishes.
• The Sixteen-point Agreement was signed in 1960 with the Naga People's Convention. This led to the formation of a separate state of Nagaland in 1963 and the incorporation of Article 371A into the Constitution which recognized the special rights of Naga people.
• A Ceasefire Agreement was signed in 1964 which paved the way for the Shillong Accord a decade later, in 1975.
• The Government of India signed a ceasefire agreement with NSCN-IM in 1997, and with NSCN-K in 2001.
• Since then close to 80 rounds of talks have been held between representatives of the government of India and the NSCN.
• In 2015, the NSCN-IM faction signed an agreement with the government which was termed as the "Naga Peace Accord"

2015 - Naga Peace Accord

In August 2015, a Framework Agreement has been signed between NSCN (IM) and Government of India to find a peaceful solution to the vexed Naga issue. Though the contents of the agreement have not been made public, it is significant due to the following reasons:

It shows the flexibility and realism of NSCN (IM) in willingness to alter their goals from complete sovereignty and Greater Nagalim to acceptance of constitutional framework as the agreement is said to be Non-territorial. This means, providing greater autonomy for the Naga-inhabited areas outside Nagaland through autonomous district councils. A non-territorial resolution framework also favours the Nagas as their core demands such as recognition of their unique history and culture, Naga leverage over deciding the development path for the Naga-inhabited areas, etc. are met through the grant of greater autonomy. The deal is said to have provided for cultural integration of Naga areas instead of territorial integration. The signing of the accord discloses the support of NSCN (IM) holds with Naga social groups in taking a peaceful path to conflict resolution. It shows the intent of both Government of India and Nagas to resolve the issue in a time-bound manner.

Conclusion

Naga issue is one of the oldest armed ethnic conflicts in the country. Resolving this issue could pave way for resolving many other ethnic conflicts in the North East such as those involving Kukis, Meiteis, Bodos, Dimasas, Hmars, and Karbis. For example, the Bodo violence in Assam against immigrant minority communities highlights the dangers of an ethnically slanted territorial council that failed to safeguard the physical security of minorities in Bodo inhabited areas. In that light, a non-territorial resolution framework is perhaps the only feasible outcome to the multiple ethnicity-driven conflicts in Northeast India. However, it remains to be seen how the NSCN (IM) and the Government move forward in living up to the aspirations of the Naga people.