Zhopra Vero
Kedahge, NNC/FGN
The 6th of September occupies an important place in the annals of Naga history. It was on this day in 1964 that the Indo-Naga Cease-Fire between the Government of India (GoI) and the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), facilitated through the mediation of the Peace Mission, officially came into force. The understanding reached at Sakraba Village, Chakhesang Region and signed on 24th May 1964 brought a temporary cessation to years of armed confrontation and opened, for the first time, a historic political platform for direct dialogue between the two governments.
The circumstances that led to the Cease-Fire must be understood against the backdrop of the preceding years of conflict. Following the Naga declaration of independence on 14 August 1947 and the subsequent Naga National Plebiscite of 16 May 1951, the Naga National Council continued to pursue the political aspirations of the Naga people. Until 1955, the Naga political movement had largely adhered to peaceful and non-violent methods. B. N. Mullik, in My Years with Nehru, acknowledges, “Up to early 50s it must be said to the credit of the Nagas that they were not thinking of any violent movement.”
However, the Government of India continued the brutalisation of Naga population in an attempt to compel them to accept India’s Constitution by treating the Naga issue as a military problem and an internal matter of ‘law and order’, and ‘secessionism’, and the persistent use of armed forces had gradually escalated the situation into armed confrontation. Before even a decade had elapsed since the end of British colonial subjugation when the Government of India, having attained independence from British rule, readily adopted the legacy of its former colonial master and maintained that the Naga territory had been inherited by India from the British Government. The Naga National Council, on the other hand maintained that the Nagas had exercised sovereign rights over their territories from time immemorial, long before the British incursion and controlling a small portion of Naga territory adjoining Assam. The NNC asserted that the Nagas possessed a distinct political identity and that their political future must be determined by the Naga people themselves.
The conflict intensified following Nehru’s visit to Kohima, Naga Hills with U Nu, the Premier of Burma (now Myanmar) on 30th March 1953. Within two months of Nehru’s departure, the Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act was promulgated in May 1953. The police repression was followed by the deployment of the Indian Army, and by October 1955 troops had moved into the Tuensang Frontier Division and soon after, nearly two divisions of the Indian Army, together with 35 battalions of the Assam Rifles and armed police, had been deployed across the Naga areas, exerting intense military pressure throughout Naga territory. Subsequently, the first Indo-Naga battle known as the ‘Battle of Hoshepu’ took place on 4 September, 1956.
The introduction of military force brought immense suffering to the civilian population. Villages were destroyed, concentration camps were established where villages were forcibly grouped, homes and granaries were burned, families were displaced, schools were closed, forced labour was imposed, and large numbers of people were driven into the jungles. Ordinary life was severely disrupted. Records from 1955 indicate that tens of thousands were killed, approximately 10,000 Nagas were beaten and tortured, including thousands of women; nearly two thousand men were maimed, 26,598 houses and thousands of granaries were burned down.
The suffering of the people eventually compelled sections of Naga civil society, particularly the Baptist Church, to explore ways and means of bringing an end to the violence perpetrated by the invading forces. The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), deeply conscious of the human cost of the conflict and the absence of any apparent end to the escalating violence, convened at Wokha from 2nd to 4th February 1964. The convention resolved to seek a peaceful settlement between the Government of India and the Federal Government of Nagaland.
The Convention led to the formation of the Peace Mission with Bimala Prasad Chaliha, the then Chief Minister of Assam; Jayaprakash Narayan, a renowned veteran Indian freedom fighter and Sarvodaya leader; and Rev Michael Scott, a British missionary and social activist as the prominent members. The Peace Mission tirelessly undertook the difficult responsibility of mediation between the two sides. Through persistent efforts, consultations and personal engagement, the Mission succeeded in bringing the parties towards a cessation of hostilities.
The negotiations and contacts eventually culminated in the historic meeting at Sakraba Village in Phek District where an agreement was signed between the representatives of the Government of India and the Federal Government of Nagaland; on 24th May 1964 (Sunday) by GoI representatives and on 25th May 1964 (Monday) by the FGN representatives comprising of Zashei Huire, Ahng, Japfü State; Biseto Medom, Lota-Kilonser; Major General Hokiye Swu, G.O.C.; Seletsu Vero, Nsa-Midan, Mayan Riyang (Supreme Court); Khrisanisa Seyietsu, Former Kedahge, I Zhenito, Tatar and Kruzhalie Peseyie, Angami Ahng, for cessation of hostilities. The Cease-Fire came into effect officially on 6th September 1964. The first session of the political negotiation commenced at Chedema on September 23, 1964 and after the tenth session of the Indo-Naga Peace Talks, the Peace talk was shifted to Khensa, near Mokokchung.
The historic achievement of the Cease-Fire deserves recognition not only as an interruption of armed hostilities but as the beginning of a political process. The Peace Mission had maintained that it carried a moral responsibility to preserve peace and to seek the settlement of outstanding political questions through peaceful means, holding the conviction that human problems can ultimately be addressed through dialogue rather than violence. For the Naga people, this was a moment of profound relief and hope. After years of military suppression, insecurity and displacement, normal life began to return. Families were reunited, people returned to their occupations and fields, and a sense of security gradually replaced the fear that had overshadowed everyday life.
The Cease-Fire created an unprecedented opportunity for political dialogue at the highest level. Six rounds of talks were subsequently held between the representatives of the Federal Government of Nagaland and the Government of India, including discussions at the Prime Ministerial level. These talks represented an important recognition that conflicts cannot be resolved solely through military means. However, after the sixth round on 5th October 1967, the talks reached a deadlock without producing a final settlement. The Cease-Fire was ultimately abrogated by the Government of India on 31st August 1972.
The failure of the 1964 Peace process, however, in no way diminishes its historical importance. Its greatest legacy was the demonstration that even after years of armed conflict, adversaries could come together, suspend hostilities and engage in political dialogue. It established the principle that the Indo-Naga conflict was fundamentally political and therefore requires a political solution.
The NNC/FGN continues to uphold the principle that the Indo-Naga conflict must ultimately be resolved through peaceful political dialogue founded upon mutual respect, dignity and honest engagement. The Naga aspiration for self-determination and the preservation of Naga identity and integrity cannot be permanently addressed through force. Likewise, lasting peace cannot be built upon coercion, domination or the denial of the political history of either side.
The spirit of the 1964 Cease-Fire is therefore as relevant today as it was six decades ago. It reminds us that peace requires courage—not merely the courage to resist, but also the courage to listen, to understand and to negotiate. The Naga people have endured immense hardship, yet their desire for peace has remained inseparable from their aspiration for justice, dignity and political recognition.
The prophetic words of Isaiah remain an enduring aspiration: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” Peace will not come through the triumph of one side over another. It will come through political will—the will to listen, to negotiate, to respect one another and to recognize each other's humanity, history and political rights.
May the legacy of the 1964 Cease-Fire for enduring and lasting Peace live on.
