Dimapur, December 29 (MExN): Ikato I Chishi Swu, son of the late Isak Chishi Swu has accused the Government of India of “insincerity, dishonesty and hypocrisy” in dealing with the Indo–Naga political issue. Swu junior alleged that the GoI has systematically undermined decades of negotiations and ceasefires to impose a solution under the Indian Constitution.
In a press statement issued on December 29, 2025, Swu traced the Indo–Naga political struggle from the pre-Independence period to the present, arguing that the Nagas have consistently sought peaceful resolution through dialogue, written representations and negotiations, only to be met with “force, intimidation, trickery... and money power.”
Referring to the Nine-Point Agreement of 1947, Swu alleged that its principles were unilaterally bypassed by India within days of signing, followed by warnings that force would be used if the Nagas did not join the Indian Union. He claimed that subsequent military operations resulted in widespread human rights violations, with an estimated 150,000 Naga casualties between 1956 and 1964.
He further alleged that the creation of Nagaland state in 1963, based on the 16-Point Agreement, was designed to divide Naga areas and weaken the NNC-led movement. According to him, Naga-inhabited areas were fragmented under different administrative units, undermining the aspiration of the Nagas to live as one political entity.
The statement also revisited the 1964 ceasefire initiated through the Nagaland Baptist Church Council and the subsequent peace talks, which Swu said collapsed after the GoI treated the issue as a “law and order problem” rather than a political one. He described the arrest and deportation of Rev Michael Scott in 1966 as the end of that peace initiative, followed by renewed military operations.
Swu characterised the Shillong Accord of 1975 as a document signed “under duress” during ‘Emergency’ rule, without consultation with the Naga people or top NNC leaders. He said its rejection led to the formation of the NSCN in 1980 by Isak Chishi Swu, SS Khaplang and Th Muivah.
Turning to the present ceasefire that began in August 1997, Swu said it was made possible after the GoI admitted that a military solution was impossible and that the issue required a political settlement. He recalled meetings with successive Prime Ministers and said the ceasefire was guided by principles of unconditional talks, discussions at the Prime Minister’s level, and negotiations in neutral countries.
According to him, the Framework Agreement (FA) of August 3, 2015, recognised the Indo–Naga issue as a political conflict, acknowledging the unique history of the Nagas. While stating that the FA was based on the principle of “with India, not within India,” he said that it lent recognition to Naga sovereignty and provided for shared sovereign power between two entities.
However, he alleged that the GoI backtracked, under pressure from the RSS, and began to sabotage the FA by engineering the further splintering of the Naga movement, and coming up with the “Agreed Position.”
He held that accepting the Agreed Position would be a repeat of the “Shillong Accord,” leading Nagas to face a fate similar to Jammu and Kashmir. The statement also criticised the roles of former interlocutor RN Ravi and later GoI representative AK Mishra, accusing them of delaying talks, changing narratives, and insisting that recognition of the flag and Constitution was not possible. Swu said negotiations had reached a dead end by October 2025, when the GoI made it clear that only a solution under the Indian Constitution was on offer.
Swu said he left Hebron in April 2025 to join the “Eastern Flank” to safeguard Naga political and historical rights. An allegedly disillusioned Swu joined forces with Lt General (retired) HS Ramsan and Lt General Absalom Raman.
He claimed that renewed talks resumed only after this move, but eventually collapsed again. He accused the NSCN (IM) leadership of compromising the Naga cause, charging that “some NSCN leaders” have succumbed to GoI incentives.
Beyond politics, the statement placed strong emphasis on the spiritual dimension of the Naga movement, reiterating the covenant of “Nagalim for Christ” and calling the issue both political and divine. Swu urged churches to play a proactive role in spiritual healing and unity.
He called on Nagas to identify and confront what he said was “treacherous elements,” and uniting to determine their own future.
