Who were the Traitors of Manipur?

Excluded areas of British Empire were not present in any of the Hill districts of Manipur. Therefore, the movement for a separate united Naga tribal lands is null and void.

Today, some section of Tribal writers in Manipur are using the term "Excluded Areas" within Naga Hills to misrepresent that Nagas where not part of India or Manipur. They were not conquered even by British.

Need of the hour is people from Nagaland should come forward to tell the world that they are interested to integrate tribal lands from Manipur into Nagaland. 20 lakhs population of Nagaland should tell us that they need tribal from Manipur for developing Nagaland state! We can deport traitors from Manipur hills, same as we sent Coolies from the hills as Labour Corps during First World War.

Are they ready to accommodate around 5 lakhs of tribal from Manipur in their state? Are they ready to share job opportunities and budgets meant for developing Nagaland with these tribes from Manipur?

Shri Rishang Keishing, former Chief Minister of Manipur and MP from manipur who weave the idea of Naga Integration Committee in Manipur.

Nagaland Chief Minister, T R Zeliang should understand that there was no land called "Excluded Areas" within independent Manipur state.  Every hills of Manipur were under the direct administrations of Manipur King.

In 1881, decisive British and Manipur conquests had led to the formation of a Naga Hills district which, under the 1919 Government of India Act, continued to be part of the province of Assam that had been carved out of East Bengal in 1912.

In 1921. the Naga Hills district was designated a "Backward Tract", placing it under the direct administration of the Assam Governor.. Following an order issued as early as in 1873, plain peoples were also required to obtain "Inner Line Permits" before entering the Naga Hills. This was done primarily to control over Assam and Naga Hills district effectively. This was the beginning of preventing encroachment on tribal land.

Whole Naga Hills district was included in the Backward Tract which sounds derogatory, since under the British rule, several parts of the Naga Hills were developing fast, coupled with introduction of Christinity and western education.

When Sir John Simon along with seven British MPs were designated to study the Constitutional reform in British India, they found the term "nauseating". Therefore, by new Government of India Act of 1935, the term was changed to "Excluded Area". 

This means the areas are excluded from the competence of the Provincial and Federal Legislatures, not that they were no longer part of India. These excluded areas were ruled directly by the governor of Assam.

Before Manipur was granted a full fledged State of Manipur in 1972, some tribal from Manipur submitted memorandums to the Prime Minister of India in 1969. They have mentioned that, "the demand for a unified Naga State has been there since 1932...." Those traitors must understand that demand for unified Naga State was not from Manipur, it was the internal affairs of the Naga Hills district of British Empire. 

A five member delegations of Naga Integration Committee, Manipur went to new Delhi and submitted a memorandum to Smt. Indira Gandhi on 26th July, 1968, demanding immediate merger of Naga inhabited areas of Manipur with Nagaland.

Traitors of Manipur were lead by Shri Rishang Keishing, secretary of Naga Integration Committee (NIC), Manipur;  Shri Ng. Mono, President, NIC;  R.S. Changson, President of Tangkhul Naga Public Conference; K Thungam, Secretary of Tengnoupal Naga Union; K Kakhuton, president of Zeliangrong Union, Tamenglong; Soso Larho, Secretary Poumai Progressive Union Mao; Chamaikho Larho, chairman of Mao Local Board,  Thoukhal, president of Maring Naga Association, Tengnoupal and R Vio, president of Poumai Progressive Union , Mao.

The above traitors submitted to the Prime Minister of India stating  "...... any idea that on granting Statehood to Manipur, the Nagas of Manipur will cease automatically their demand for integration into Nagaland shows complete misreading of the Naga political mind. The question as to whether Manipur got a Statehood or otherwise is hardly concerned with the Nagas. The talk of granting District Autonomy to the Hill people of Manipur has made no sense."

Why then hill people are Manipur are talking of Hill Areas Committee and  Autonomous Councils in the State. Why are you asking for funds from the State of Manipur? Why are you complaining everything to the State of Manipur? Why are you demanding alternate arrangements in Manipur? Just go and settle in Nagaland. This is the best solution!

Revisiting Naga Hills – Old Ties and New Partnership

In 1879, Naga peace missionary came to Manipur for friendship and fight against the British. The two neighbours need the same mission in 2016. 

This time for peace and development in the region. Time is perfect to remember old ties and open for new partnership.  The Naga Peace Accord will not bear much success if Manipur, major stakeholders of the process is not consulted.

Manipur never wanted to disturb the affairs of neighboring States or Kingdoms and present generations are not interested to meddle with the political issues of Nagaland. 

In early days too, Manipur did not interfere in the affairs of Naga Hills after the expedition in 1833. This was mainly due to a Treaty  of Non -Interference Policy signed between British India and King of Manipur in 1851.

British first encounter the Nagas in 1832 when Meetei King Gambhir Singh, along with two British officers Captain Jenkins and Pemberton was looking for a passage through the hills to enter Assam plain around the Lakhimpur and Sibsagar  area.

In the early parts of the 19th century, Burmese invaded, Naga Hills, Assam and Manipur. Manipur defended the region and drive out the Burmese in 1825.  British took over the administration of Assam in 1830. After British controlled Assam, the Angamis and Zeliangrongs frequent raids in  North Cachar and some parts of Manipur in  the North.

Similarly, the Lothas, Ao, Phom and Konyak carried out raids in North Western side of Manipur and Assam. The main purpose of raids was to capture people to sell as slaves.

After signing the Anglo-Manipur alliance treaty of 1833, British know that Maharaj Gambhir Singh of Manipur had in mind the permanent conquest of Naga Hills. The Southern part of Naga Hills was controlled by Manipur.

The Nagas regarded Manipur was the stronger power of the two alliances (Manipur and British). When Nagas turned down the ultimatum of British in 1833, Gambhir Singh marched upto Kohima and other Angami villages. He re-asserted the authority of Manipur over that area and reduces to submission several villages including Kohima.

Meetei King Gambhir Singh erected his footprints engraved at a Stone in Kohima (Thibomei) in 1833 (Image credit - RKCS/Google Image)

At Kohima, the Maharaj footprint engraved on a stone was erected as a symbol of conquest on 10 February, 1833. The Nagas respect this stone and clean it from time to time.

In 1850-51, number of Meetei had close relations with a number of Nagas (particularly Angamis). The joint neighbors demanded Manipur's rightful throne to Maharaj Chandrakirti Singh and Kabaw valley compensation to him.

Whenever a Meetei visited a Naga Village, he was treated as an honoured guest, at a time when a British subject could not venture into the interior without risk of being murdered. After the death of Maharaj Gambhir Singh in September 1834, The Nagas became free from the tribute systems to Manipur.

The Naga Hills District was formed in 1866 and the first boundary of the Naga Hills District was notified in 1867 with Samagudting as first District Headquarters.

Very soon, the Nagas came to realise about the British Divide and rule policy among the people of Manipur and Naga Hills as Hillsman and  Plainsman. Then, the Naga Hills started its independent movement in 1879. At this time, Manipur had no intention to annex the Naga Hills to its Country. Manipur desired to live at peace with the people of Naga Hills.

The Nagas came to Maharaj Chandrakirti Singh  to fight war against the British.  Though aid was not openly given by the King of Manipur, no doubt the Meetei helped the Angamis. British found out that the attacks against them in Naga Hills were always made by Meetei factions who don’t want alliance with the British. In every Angami village there were two parties, one attached to the interest of Manipur and other to the British.

Manipur had its firm foot that it was to live peacefully to its original political sovereignty. The Political consensus of Manipur was for a peaceful co-existence with its neighbourhood.

While final decision to make the Naga Hills a British district was taken in 1881. Naga Hills within the administered area consisted of more than eight tribes, quite different from one another, quite different in languages which could not be understood by each other. There was no unity among the Nagas, It was only the Anglo Manipuri alliance that was holding the Naga together.

Meetei Warriors along with British after defeating Naga Hills in 1880.

Thus the newly created District of British India lies between 25o2’ and 26o47’N and 98o17’ and 94o52’ E and covers an area around 8600 square miles; on the west by Sibsagar, Nowgong and the north Cachar Hills; on  the South by the Princely state of Manipur; and on the east by the mountain ranges inhabited by independent Naga tribes.

The outbreak of Naga war of 1879 and the revolution in Naga Hills was a watershed in the political history of Naga Hills.

Far sighted Britishers  started a policy of dividing  Naga Hills and Manipur after  defeating the Naga Hills in 1880 and Manipur in 1891. 

They feared that Manipur and Naga Hills could be united and act against the British. The British felt alarmed the possibility of alliance between Manipur and Naga Hills and various measures were done to check the free flow of both neighbours, successful to some extent. For example, the Inner Line Regulation Act.

Of the two neighbours, the first movement against British was occured in Manipur in the form of First Nupi Lan (Women's war) in 1904 and Second Nupi Lan in 1939. In Naga Hills,  the First World war veterans formed the Naga Club in 1918. However, this was not against the British. It was, however, the harbinger for a Naga Nationalism.

When Naga National Council (NNC) was formed in 1946, consisting of various Nagas and Kukis in the Naga Hills District, the main policy was to safeguard Naga's interests after British left India. Series of movements continued under the able leadership of Angami Naga, A Z Phizo who sowed the seed of Naga Country. 

NNC itself is a united representatives of various Naga communites and symbols of each Naga are seen in the group. The Highest and must respected "Naga Parliament"  came to be known as "Tatar Hoho" after the Sema, Lotha and Ao word for "Village elders" (tatar) and the Lotha and Sema word for Assembly " Hoho".  Rengma word for king or supreme head "Kedahge" was used for "President" of the Federal Government of Nagaland. The Yimchunger word for village Councillor was used to represent Ministers as "Kilonsers".

Such combination of different communities shows Naga Nationalism are for the whole Nagas who have been fighting since 1832 till today.

To wage war against the colonial Indian forces, the first major contigent of 150 Naga rebel troops touched the Naga soil in 1962 from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). 

While in Manipur, Hijam Irabot formed the "Independent Peasant Republic" and its armed organisation, the Red Guards  was formed in March 1950. However, the first Meetei revolutionary movement died with Irabot in 1951.

Later, another movement came up on 24 November 1964, termed as the "unfinished revolution of 1948", the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) headed by Arambam Samarendra to liberate Manipur from Indian colonial occupation in the larger context of liberating the entire Indo-Burma region for a Common future.

Like the NNC, UNLF too is a composite body of various ethnic communities in Manipur, particularly, the Kukis and Kabuis who belive in a united force to fight against the Indian Occupational Force. Arambam Samarendra was successful in joint struggle with the Thadou and Kuki Chin movements. He was dreaming for a Pan Mongoloid movement to include all Mongoloid people of Indo-Burma region.

Unfortunately, UNLF mission to the Naga Hills was obstructed, may be time was not ripe or communication gap between the leaders. Samarendra went to Kohima to meet NNC leader, Imkongmeren Ao, who was the Vice President of NNC. Not only the meeting for a unified force was a failure, but it was unfortunate in the history of two neighbours, Naga Hills and Manipur. 

Lungshim Saiza, a Tangkhul leader who married to one of the niece of A.Z.Phizo not only made derogatory remarks against Meetei, but he was reported to have told the visiting Meetei leaders in Naga Hills to meet the "Nagas only when the time's ripe"!