NSF writes to APO regarding Naga Club building

To

The President

Angami Public Organisation (APO)

Kohima: Nagaland

Subject: Naga Club Building issue- regarding.

Sir,

The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) gratefully acknowledges the letter dated 28th June 2023 (Received on 4th July 2023) which has on record the efforts made by your good office along with the Kohima Village Council in response to the request placed forth by the NSF. Needless to say, the appeal of the NSF was to explore rational ways and means on the issue of the vandalised Naga Club Building by some unidentified miscreants on the fateful morning of the 27th May 2023 which has been later on, owned by the Members of the present Naga Club members. Further, alongside the appeal, the NSF has also presented to your good office its principle stand on the legitimacy of the present Naga Club while pursuing the mediatorial endeavor on the issue which is well known to all.

The NSF would like to place on record its sincere gratitude for the initiative undertaken by the Angami Public Organization (APO) and the Kohima Village Council (KVC) to usher in a peaceful resolution to the imbroglio created due to the vandalism of the Naga Heritage building by the members of the self proclaimed Naga Club. It may be pertinently mentioned that to honour and to rests the matter as well as to pave way for an amicable solution, the NSF considering the public appeal made by the Angami Public organization (APO) and the Kohima Village Council (KVC) in local dailies, had, in good faith, boldly withdrawn the FIR filed at North Police Station, Kohima against the unidentified miscreants which was later on owned by the members of the self proclaimed Naga Club.

While having stated above, the NSF would like to univocally state that the present imbroglio over the Naga Club Building is not about the ownership of land and its building. For the NSF, the Naga Club and its building is not a mere standing infrastructure to be looked upon from its material perspective. The Naga Club building is a monument of Naga Nationalism and this spirit will always remain and the same will be passed on to posterity. The pioneers and their wisdom shall continue to shine in the lives of the Nagas who yearns to safeguard the uniqueness of Naga history and its struggle for independence. Solemnly, it is the bedrock of the Nagas’ struggle for Self Determination. However, the NSF is saddened to put on record that the Naga Club building and the land, appear to some individuals, a structure for personal convenience so as to satisfy their vested interest without having an iota of knowledge and the nerve to adhere to the ethos that stands to symbolise how the pioneers of the Naga Club had envisioned through its formation, the uniqueness of Naga History and the underlying principles that must be treasured to take the Nagas to its rightful place. Such group of individuals fails to realize that the construction of a modernized palatial building sans the historic principle enshrined in the Memorandum that was submitted to the Simon Commission in 1929 is a dead structure to be haunted by the souls of those Nagas who have sacrificed for the Nagas struggle for Self Determination. Indeed, the Naga Club building stands to symbolise the blood and tears shed by the Nagas in our struggle for freedom and this significance must not be allowed to vanish at the hands of thoughtless and visionless individuals.

The NSF takes pride to state that it has been the sole custodian of the Naga Club building for decades due to the fact that the spontaneous continuity of the Naga Club by its pioneers and their successors could not be maintained due to various circumstances mostly conditioned by the turmoil unleashed by the occupational forces in their attempts to crash the Nagas’ revolutionary movement for Self Determination. History is proof to the fact that, except the NSF, no Naga social organization, including the Naga Club, could function to brave the storms during the period when the Indian army perpetrated unimaginable atrocities upon the Naga populace. In such endeavor, the leaders of the NSF have undergone untold hardship, both physically and mentally, which have been proven and recorded for the generation of Nagas. For protecting the uniqueness of Naga History, NSF Leaders were humiliated, physically tortured and jailed but their spirits have never been crashed. Therefore, the principle stand of the NSF in proclaiming to have been this far, the sole guardian of the Naga Club Building is not without any historical base. To enable one and for all to be informed of such history, the NSF would like to place the following sequence on Naga Club building:

1. The NSF reiterates that the Naga club belongs to all the Naga people and that no individual or group can claim ownership of the same. The Naga issue, the Naga political history and the resulting rights of the Naga people cannot be owned nor inherited by some individuals.

2. The NSF has always been honoring our ancestors who laid the foundation of the Naga nationhood, which NSF is a proud descendent.

3. It was on 31st October 1974 where Eno. Vilalhoulie Angami, Retd. Deputy SP wrote to the President of NSF explaining about the genesis and the defunct Naga Club and thereby, out of love for the Nagas, requested that the NSF take over the charge of Naga Club for the welfare of the Nagas.

4. 0n 7th January 1982, a meeting was held at Kohima Village Panchayat hall wherein the Naga Club was revamped with Eno. Azuto Rengma as its President.

5. In 1983, when by then the Naga Club building was taken over by the Nagaland Government, Late Vizolie Sorhie, the then President NSF and his General Secretary, Eno. Imkong L Imchen among other officials were approached by the Naga Club office bearers and the Naga Elders Conference to reclaim the Naga Club building which was occupied by the Forest Department. It should be noted that even after the Forest Department shifted their office, the department kept the building under lock and never handed over the keys to the Naga Club. Many more efforts were made to reclaim the Naga Club building in the most appropriate manner but the government refused to cooperate. Subsequently, NSF led by Late. Vizolie Sorhie, President NSF, Late Mechimvu Ritse, Finance Secretary, Eno. Neingulo Krome, Member Action Committee NSF and Eno Kewezu G Kenye, President ANCSU, went and broke the lock and occupied the Naga Club Building. Following which Mr. Neivor Rutsa volunteered his vehicle bearing Registration No. NLT-309 to assist in shifting the NSF office to Naga Club building. Later on, rooms were also provided for ANCSU, Naga Elders’ Conference and gradually office of the Oking Times and also the Naga Mothers’ Association.

6. When the rent for the caution money was paid and received by the General Secretary of the then Naga Club, Late Vilavor Liegesie, from Imkong L Imchen, the then General Secretary of NSF, it was clearly mentioned as ‘with the Good consent of Mutual understanding’ which was to facilitate and legitimize that ‘Naga Club’ was the owner of the same building which at that point in time was also being claimed by another group of individuals in the name of another Naga Club, and that the matter of dispute was lying under the court of Deputy Commissioner, Kohima for hearing. This receipt of Rs. 500 paid by NSF became evident of proof and the court ruled in favor of the Naga club, which was never ever contested again. The principle of ‘mutual understanding’ was that the building will always belong to Naga Club and NSF will only be the guardian and custodian of the building according to demands of situations. And ever since the building was taken over in April 1983, NSF did all repair and renovation works of the building and its premises, including additional construction which still stands majestically, despite its agedness.

7. On 22 June 1983, A Kevichusa gave a statement about how, when, who and for whom the Naga Club Building was constructed. In it, it was clearly stated that the ‘The building was not constructed for any particular person. It does not belong to the Angamis in particular. Neither does it belong exclusively to the Kohima people nor to the Christians. It belongs to the Naga people as a whole.’

8. On 27 May 1984: 12 individuals claiming to be of the descendants of donors of the Naga club building wrote to the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima requesting for an eviction order against the ‘self style Secretary’ of the then Naga Club and the Naga Students’ Federation claiming that they are the original Naga Club.

9. Subsequently, on 17th July 1984, DC Kohima convened a meeting of prominent Naga leaders in Kohima for a meeting to discuss issues relating to Naga Club.

10. On 17 August 1984, DC Kohima, S Lima Aier ‘dissolved the two parallel Naga Clubs with the condition that ‘the Naga Club will be reorganized giving wide publicity to all tribes of Nagas and sub-committee was appointed with Mr. Wezhuli as Convenor’. It was clearly stated in the order that the re-organisation should be completed by 17th September 1984.

11. On 26 October 1984, the committee constituted by the DC Kohima had a meeting and resolved the following:

(i) That, the office bearers of the Naga Club duly elected on 7th January, 1982 was re-elected and shall be legitimate recognized body.

(ii) That, the tenure of the office shall be 3 (three) calendar years.

(iii) That, in addition to the existing office bearers, 7 (Seven) Joint secretaries, each representing 1 (one) district of Nagaland, shall man the office of the Naga Club. However, despite such endeavour as stated above, the Naga Club could not persistently continue to function as an organization worth its name.

12. After, a long wait of history, on 15 July 2017, the NSF decided to celebrate 100th Year of Naga Club at the NSF Senior Consultative Meeting held at Japfu Hotel, Kohima.

13. December 2017, the NSF Federal Assembly held at Mokukchung village hosted by AKM reaffirmed the decision to celebrate the 100th Year of Naga Club and endorsed the Executive Council to constitute a committee for the same.

14. On 29th June 2018, a 15 Member organizing Committee for ‘100th Year of Naga Club’ was constituted by the NSF Executives with Neingulo Krome as the Convenor of the Committee.

15. However, simultaneously, some group of individuals, having designated themselves as Office Bearers of Naga Club, were also planning to celebrate the 100th Year of Naga Club. Therefore, on 21st November 2018, after due consultationa, A Public Declaration was made by eleven ‘concerned senior individuals not representing any organization or body’ after a marathon meeting held at De Oriental Hotel, Kohima wherein it was clearly stated that ‘to undertake all future developments taking the Naga public, especially the NSF, a major stakeholder, into confidence always’. However, to the dismay of everyone, the same was not honored by the Naga Club.

16. As the NSF launched the celebration of its 75 years of existence under the theme ‘Call to Oneness’ for all nagas to come together, this self proclaimed Naga Club issued ‘Notice to Vacate’ the Naga Club building in toto on or before the 27th of August 2022.

17. On December 13, 2022, Daniel Shui, a Burma Naga brought to public domain, a document entitled ‘The paradox of the Naga Club then and now’ wherein it was stated ‘Therefore, going by the Lakhuti resolution of 1955 of the mandated Naga national organization ie, NNC, the Naga Club of today should be branded as unlawful and treacherous’.

The rest of the unfortunate events which transpired are in public domain including the criminal act of vandalizing the Naga Club building housing the NSF office.

Sir, in the light of the above historical facts and contention, the NSF would like to make it very candid that it will not be in a position to take any decision until the legitimacy of the Naga Club is laid to rest by involving all the Naga people sans any artificial borders.

The NSF sincerely desires and believes that if the Naga Club is to let live, it should be firmly grounded on the principle of the Memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission or else it will be only a mockery to the uniqueness of the Naga History for which the NSF shall not compromise. The NSF repose its faith on the Angami Public Organisation and the Kohima Village Council, that it will not allow some individuals with vested interest to extirpate the history of Naga Nationalism as dearly upheld, till the last breath, by the Father of Naga Nation, A Z Phizo.

Yours Sincerely,

(KEGWAYHUN TEP)
President

(SIIPUNI NG PHILO)
General Secretary