Kohima, October 18 (MExN): The Naga National Council/Federal Government of Nagaland (NNC/FGN) on Sunday paid tribute to Naga martyrs, particularly Zasibito Nagi of Jotsoma village, who was killed during a demonstration in Kohima on October 18, 1952, and called on the people to uphold the original political principles of the Naga national movement.
In a statement issued by Rali Wali, NNC/FGN, under the leadership of Zhopra Vero, the organisation said the sacrifices of the pioneers reflected the Naga people's resolve for self-determination.
According to the statement, Zasibito Nagi, an assistant judge of the Angami Tribal Council Court, was allegedly shot dead by an Assam Police officer while participating in a peaceful demonstration in Kohima on October 18, 1952.
The demonstration, it said, sought to reaffirm the declaration of Naga independence on August 14, 1947, the mandate expressed through the 1951 plebiscite and the subsequent rejection of the Indian general election in 1952.
The organisation described these events as successive expressions of the Naga people's political aspirations and said Zasibito Nagi's death had become a symbol of sacrifice in the history of Naga nationalism.
The NNC/FGN expressed gratitude to him and thousands of others who, it said, sacrificed their peace, dignity, wealth, homes and lives in defence of the collective political aspirations of the Naga people.
It said the sacrifices of the pioneers could not be erased by what it described as revisionist narratives, political expediency or deliberate distortion. The organisation also rejected attempts to portray the pioneers as mere villagers or blind followers, citing Zasibito Nagi's position in the Angami Tribal Council Court as evidence of his standing and political awareness.
The statement also criticised what it described as the abandonment of the original principles of the Naga national movement by certain elements who allegedly collaborated with their political adversaries.
It termed the creation of Nagaland state in 1963 one of the most consequential political mistakes in the movement's history, arguing that the sacrifices of the Naga pioneers had compelled a departure from the Indian government's original position of district autonomy within Assam under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The NNC/FGN further claimed that the historical resistance of the Naga pioneers had influenced political developments beyond the Naga homeland, including political arrangements in other northeastern states.
Urging Naga citizens to honour the martyrs, the organisation said Naga nationhood was not an idea conceived by a handful of leaders for personal interests but a collective political conviction affirmed by the people and defended by generations.
It called on the people to remain committed to the original Naga political aspiration despite changing political circumstances and present challenges.
Expressing faith in God, the NNC/FGN said it hoped the Naga people would one day witness the fulfilment of their national aspiration.
The organisation also called on those committed to the original national principles to unite and pursue the collective cause, asserting that the sacrifices of the martyrs and the principles for which they died would endure despite political changes and the passage of time.
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