The killing of 14 civilians in Nagaland in a botched anti-insurgency operation by the Indian Army has brought the longest insurgency activity in India back into the limelight. The Naga insurgency is a complex mesh of geopolitical, ethnic and cultural questions from over half a century ago.

'Black day' and regrets

The recent killings in an armed forces operation have turned the spotlight on stalled peace talks once more. Several groups like the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG), which comprises seven Nagaland-based insurgent groups, have strongly spoken out against the incident. The NNPG, in particular, blames the continued application of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the area.

“The draconian laws in Nagaland and military atrocities over many decades have made Naga people very aware that they are not and will never be Indians,” the NNPG’s working committee said.

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NSCN-IM called it a “black day” for all Nagas and termed the occurrence “unprecedented in recent history.”

The state government also condemned the action while announcing ex-gratia for the kin of the deceased.

Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha on December 6 that the Centre regretted the incident.

"Based on credible intelligence of likely movement of insurgents, a specific operation was planned to be conducted in the area of Tiru, Mon District, Nagaland. The incident and its aftermath are deeply regretted,” the Army said in a statement.

The police FIR, however, paints a different picture. The police FIR stated that the army forces had the intention to “to murder and injure civilians.”

“We have exempted certain services, scheduled marriages and students appearing for exams. We have also appealed to the Naga people cutting across artificial boundaries to refrain from any festivity for five days of mourning for the dead from December 6,” Naga Students' Federation(NSF) President Kegwayhun Tep said. The organisation called for a total shutdown in the state to protest the killings.

Who are the Nagas?

The Nagas are a collection of ethnic groups native to parts of Northeastern India and Northwestern Myanmar, who speak over 89 different languages and dialects. The disparate tribes of the Naga first found themselves under the heel of Western colonisers in the latter half of the 19th century, when British gained control of the entire area with Kohima as the headquarters.

The British India government had sent 2,000-3,000 Nagas as part of The Naga Labour Corps to work in trenches as labourers and porters in France. After these Naga veterans from The Naga Labour Corps returned after WWI, they formed the Naga Club in 1918 in Kohima.

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As World War II erupted, the Nagas were at the forefront of the Japanese assault from the East, especially in the Battle of Kohima. After the Japanese were routed and forced to retreat, the Deputy Commissioner of the Naga Hills district established the Naga Hills District Tribal Council, replacing the Naga Club, to work on repairing the damage of the conflict. The organisation was later rechristened as the Naga National Council (NNC), with an objective to work out the terms of British withdrawal with the Indian government.

An important objective was the call for local autonomy and safeguarding the interests of the Naga, which again was rejected by then Congress president Jawaharlal Nehru. After further negotiations between Sir Akbar Hydari, the Governor of Assam, the NNC and tribal leaders, a Nine-Point Agreement was drafted and almost agreed upon in 1947.

The insurgency

While the Nine-Point Agreement settled the question of protection of Naga rights from the legislature of the central authority, it was the final clause that proved to be problematic. The clause was poorly worded and while to the NNC, it meant that India would give independence (or at least significant autonomy) to the Nagas, to Indian authorities, the clause meant making a new agreement after the 10-year period.

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As a result of the disagreement over the clause, the agreement was never adopted and the NNC, under the leadership of Angami Zapu Phizo, declared independence on 14 August 1947. Phizo organised the Naga Home Guard in 1954, which developed into the Naga underground army, who armed themselves with WWII British weapons left behind.

As a result, in 1955 the central government enacted the Assam Disturbed Areas Act and deployed the Assam Rifles to fully combat the insurgency. But the hardliners stuck to their demand for sovereignty.

Options for Peace

Under the 1975 Shillong Accord, the NNC agreed to unconditionally accept the supremacy of the Constitution of India, surrender their arms and renounce their demand for the secession of Nagaland from India while also putting forth other issues for the final settlement of the conflict.

However, in response, the hardliners broke off from the organisation to continue to fight for the complete sovereignty of the Nagas and the establishment of Greater Nagalim. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) was created under the leadership of Isak Chishi Swu, S. Khaplang, and Thuingaleng Muivah.

But inter-tribal rivalry in the group led to it further splintering into NSCN(K), under Khaplang leadership, and NSCN(IM), under Isak and Muivah leadership. The NNC also split into two organisations after Phizo’s death to NNC(A), under Phizo's daughter Adino leadership, and NNC(K), led by previous NNC vice-president Khodao Yanthan.

The situation today

The final settlement as proposed by the Shillong Accord still stands incomplete as of today. While progress was made in talks in 2015 with the singing of the Nagaland Peace Accord between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM, with IB Special Director Akshay Mishra taking over from Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi.

Key issues that remain today are AFSPA, demographic changes due to cross-border migrations, a separate Naga flag and constitution. The hard-line insurgency groups still continue in their struggle while the AFSPA continues to be applied in the state for the presence of the same groups.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)