Thomas
NNC Member
Today, November 11, 2026, is the 51st anniversary of God saving Nagaland, and I want to tell the story again, to the young generation of Nagas, how God saved Nagaland from surrendering. As most young people today know, the accord was a capitulation, not a miraculous work of God to save Nagaland, because the renegade leaders projected it as a capitulation.
Even though the renegade leaders portrayed it as a capitulation accord, the NNC/FGN leaders and most Nagas thank God for His miraculous work in saving the Nagas from surrendering.
It was the fact that the Indian leaders intended to put pressure on the NNC/FGN and the Naga army by their armed might to accept the Indian Constitution or surrender unconditionally. Thus, they sent five divisions of the Indian Army under the command of Major Gen Dutt, in addition to the existing Police, Assam Rifles, and paramilitary forces in Nagaland. Nagaland was, therefore, heavily rounded up by the Indian Army. The NNC/FGN and the Naga Army were also branded as unlawful associations. Nagaland was thus brought to the brink of doom.
Most of the Naga Army from Ao, Sema, Lotha, surrendered, and some Naga soldiers from Rengma region also surrendered, as they could no longer endure the repressive measures of the enemy. Konyak and Khiamniungan soldiers were saved because they could escape to the eastern part of Nagaland. Only a few NNC/FGN leaders and the Naga Army remained around the Angami and Chakhesang regions.
In that hazardous situation, Church leaders worked to restore peace in Nagaland, because the suffering of the Naga people under the Indian Army was beyond human endurance in those days. They worked under the entity “Nagaland Peace Council-NPC”, led by Rev Longri Ao. The NPC strongly conveyed to the Indian leaders that “To defeat the Nagas with armed might would never be a solution to the Indo-Naga conflict. But take the process to solve the conflicts through peaceful means”. The Indian Army did not accept a proposal for peace. The Indian bureaucracy, however, accepted the peace process to make the Nagas politically surrender.
On the part of the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), leaders wanted to save the Nation and its political institutions from complete capitulation. But in such a situation, to sign any accord would be a surrender. However, Lawyer Z Ranyo and Kevi Yallay (Phizo’s younger brother) understood that, in the period of suspension of law and under duress, no accord would be valid. They fully believed that they could play a political game with the Indian bureaucrat and save the nation from surrendering. The FGN leaders thus nodded to the NPC, leaders to talk with the Government of India (GoI).
The Indian leader, Governor of Assam, therefore, invited the Naga leaders to Shillong on November 10, 1975, and presented them with their ready-made document to sign. The Naga leaders were utterly dumbfounded as to what to say because the terms of the accord were too serious in implication to sign in the capacity of the NNC and FGN.
After a long pin-drop silence, Kevi Yallay asked the Indian leaders, “To please allow us to take the document back to our top leaders and colleagues at Chedema Peace Camp and discuss it before signing”. The immediate reply from Governor LP Singh was that such a thing cannot be allowed. They were instead told that in case they refused to sign, they can go back to the jungles and the Indian Army would resume their suspended operations.
Again, after another few minutes of silence, Kevi Yallay asked again: “How then shall we sign it?” The reply from the Governor, LP Singh was: “Of course, as representatives of the NNC and FGN. Then Kevi Yallay asked next: Does this mean that you have withdrawn the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act that has branded the NNC, FGN and the Naga Army as Unlawful associations? Do you mean to say that your legally instituted Indian Government is ready to have an agreement with an unlawful association?
After a few moments of silence, the Governor and Rammuny, his advisor walked out of the room and went into another room and closed the door. After a long time, Rammuny and the Governor came out of the room. Then Dr. Aram, the Chairman of the Nagaland Peace Centre suggested; “What about letting them sign as Underground Representatives?” To this suggestion, both Ramuny and the Governor agreed and said: Yes, let them sign it like that.
The next morning on November 11, they omitted the NNC and FGN from the document and brought it to sign. The Naga leaders realizing that the NNC and FGN were not implicated in the accord, Kevi Yallay whispered in Angami, “Sign chiiwa rei viho” It’s OK to sign it. So, they signed the Accord on Nov. 11, 1975 with their respective signatures, without any portfolios and Rank attached! in the capacity of the representatives of Underground Organizations. Later, the Accord was Known as “Shillong Accord (SA)”. (The story was related by the late I. Temjenba, who passed away on 23rd January 2024. He was one of the signatories of the Accord). Later, the Accord was known as the Shillong Accord (SA).
The contents of the document are as follows:
1. The Representatives of the Underground Organisations conveyed their decision, of their own volition, to accept, without condition, the Constitution of India.
2. It was agreed that the arms, now underground, would be brought out and deposited at appointed places. Details for giving effect to this agreement will be worked out between them and representatives of the Government, the Security Forces, and members of the Liaison Committee.
3. It was agreed that the representatives of the underground organisations should have reasonable time to formulate other issues for discussion for final settlement.
• Dated Shillong, November 11, 1975.
• Representative of Government of India: Governor LP Singh, signed.
• Representative of the Underground Organisations: Temjenba, Darhu, Venyi Rakho, Z.Ramyo, M.Assa, and Kevi Yallay, signed on behalf of the Representative of the Underground Organisation.
• Note: Venyi Rakho refrained from signing the Accord.
Since the capacity of the Naga leaders was reduced to “Representatives of the Underground Organisations” neither the designation of Naga leaders nor even the words “Naga or Nagaland” were ever mentioned in the document of the Accord. But the Governor LP Singh signed on behalf of the Government of India. So, on the part of the Nagas, no Accord was signed with the Government of India in 1975 on behalf of the NNC and FGN. Therefore, anyone who says the NNC surrendered because of the 1975 Accord is absolutely wrong.
The Indian leaders made the Nagas sign the Accord on behalf of the Representatives of the underground organisation was not due to the intellectual ability and wisdom of the Naga leaders, but solely because of God. From March 22, 1975 onward, through prophecy of God’s servants, it was told the Naga people that peace would be brought to Nagaland.
After the Accord was signed, on the same day, the GoI announced to the world that the Nagas unconditionally surrendered. But later they came to know that the Accord was null and void in itself. Hence, they did not ratify it. Also, the FGN diplomatically rejected it, and the rejection statement was submitted to Governor LP Singh, on 3rd January, 1976. The Governor accepted it. The Accord, therefore, faced its instant death, and the GoI and FGN had never held a single talk based on the Accord.
Henceforth, the GoI never talked of it. However, after 22 years of the Accord, in 1997, the Indian Prime Minister, IK Gujaral declared unconditional talks with the Naga national leaders for solving the protracted Indo-Naga conflict. With this declaration, the GoI admitted that there was no Shillong Accord in its office.
After this declaration for unconditional talks, the GoI signed a ceasefire agreement with NSCN-IM on July 27, which came into effect on August 1, 1997. Then, the GoI sent feelers to the NNC office in London, the NNC/FGN office in Kohima, and the NNC/FGN office of Eastern Oking (Headquarters), inquiring whether the NNC/FGN would like to participate in unconditional talks. This again proved the fact that the GoI has no SA in its office. If the SA was a valid document, the GoI would not have sent feelers to the NNC and FGN for unconditional talks, and neither signed another Framework Agreement with the NSNCN-IM on August 3, 2015.
This is a clear picture for the young generation that the Naga nation or NNC never surrendered at any point of time in history and thus we are proud of celebrating Naga Independence Day and Plebiscite Day every year, and also proud of saying the Nagas have a unique history. And we have to understand that unless we strive to achieve our national goal based on the Independence declaration and Plebiscite, no nation will recognize our sovereignty.
