Nagaland: Ikato Swu flags ideological drift in Naga pol movement

Ikato I. Chishi Swu, son of late Isak Chishi Swu, in statement, expressed deep concern over the present condition of the Naga political movement, recalling the vision, principles and sacrifices of the pioneers, and warning against moral, political and ideological degeneration.
Recalling the history of the Naga political struggle, Ikato said the Nagas had always attempted to resolve their political issue through peaceful means such as written representations, peaceful demonstrations, negotiations and dialogue. However, he stated that each time these efforts were met with force, intimidation, deceit, false propaganda, military might and money power to undermine and subjugate the Nagas.
Referring to the Nine-Point Agreement of June 1947 signed between NNC leaders and Assam governor Sir Akbar Hydari, he said the Indian Constituent Assembly bypassed its principles while Indian armed forces prepared to invade the Naga homeland.
He alleged that the Indian State subsequently used military force, resulting in widespread atrocities, including rape, burning of villages and killings, claiming that between 1956 and 1964 alone there were no fewer than 150,000 Naga casualties, mostly civilians.
Ikato further stated that the Government of India later created the state of Nagaland through the 16-Point Agreement, formulated without the consent of the Naga people, with the objective of breaking the NNC and the Federal Government of Nagaland. He said Naga territories were fragmented and placed under different administrative units, undermining the aspiration of the Nagas to live as one political entity.
On the first ceasefire of 1964, initiated through the Nagaland Baptist Church Council, he said several rounds of talks failed as the Government of India treated the issue as a law-and-order problem. He stated that the Peace Commission was dissolved, Rev. Michael Scott was arrested and deported, and military operations intensified again.
Ikato said that under President’s Rule and National Emergency, NNC members were forced under duress to sign the Shillong Accord on November 11, 1975. He stated that the Accord was rejected by leaders including Isak Chishi Swu, S.S. Khaplang and Th. Muivah, who later dissociated themselves and formed the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) on January 31, 1980, to continue the struggle.
He said the NSCN later split in 1988, followed by intensified military operations under laws such as AFSPA, until the ceasefire of August 1, 1997. Ikato detailed the series of political engagements that led to the ceasefire, including meetings with Indian prime ministers and the recognition that the Naga issue required a political solution.
Referring to the Framework Agreement signed on August 3, 2015, Ikato said it officially recognised the unique history, sovereignty and shared sovereign powers between the two entities. He stated that after the death of Isak Chishi Swu in 2016, the Government of India began backtracking, refusing to recognise the Naga flag and constitution and sabotaging the agreement through divisions and factionalism.
Ikato alleged that the “Agreed Position” signed with NNPGs amounted to accepting a solution under the Indian Constitution and warned that it would repeat the Shillong Accord, citing Jammu and Kashmir as an example. He maintained that the Framework Agreement was based on the principle of “with India, not within India.”
He said that after the talks reached a dead end, he and others left Hebron on April 5, 2025, to join the Eastern Flank to safeguard Naga political and historical rights. Ikato stated that despite assurances, the Government of India ultimately reiterated that a solution was possible only under the Indian Constitution.
Stating that the Naga issue was both political and divine, Ikato emphasised the covenant of “Nagalim for Christ” and called upon the Nagas to unite spiritually and politically. He asserted that the Nagas must return to their original stand as articulated in the 1929 Naga Club memorandum to the Simon Commission “to leave us alone to determine ourselves as in ancient times.”
Calling for unity, he said Nagalim belonged to the Nagas and asserted that they would opt for nothing less than absolute sovereignty. Ikato appealed to all Naga citizens, particularly the younger generation, to come forward to safeguard and build the nation, stating that the future of the Nagas rested not in the hands of aggressors but in the hands of Almighty God.