The NNC/FGN solemnly commemorates the sacrifices of the true sons of Naga soil with profound gratitude and reverence on the occasion of Naga Martyrs’ Day.
The NNC/FGN solemnly commemorates the sacrifices of the true sons of Naga soil with profound gratitude and reverence. Their unwavering commitment to the national cause remains an enduring testament to the Naga people's resolve for self-determination.
Zasibito Nagi of Jotsoma Village, an Assistant Judge of the Angami Tribal Council Court, fell victim to the first brutal manifestation of the Indian Government's policy of repression on Naga soil when an Assam Police officer cold bloodedly murdered him on 18th October 1952. He was participating in a peaceful democratic demonstration held at Kohima to reaffirm the declaration of Naga Independence on 14 August 1947, the mandate expressed through the 1951 Plebiscite, and the subsequent rejection of the Indian general election in 1952. These historical events constituted consecutive and cumulative expressions of the Naga people's political will and inalienable aspiration for self-determination.
Unwilling to relinquish the Naga aspiration, Zasibito Nagi fell victim to India's coercive policy of subjugation and forced submission. On this day, 18th October, he laid down his precious life, igniting an unquenchable flame of patriotism in the annals of Naga nationalism, a flame that has continued to burn with undiminished intensity in the hearts of the Naga people.
The NNC/FGN bows in solemn reverence and expresses its eternal gratitude to Zasibito Nagi and to the thousands of other precious souls who refused to surrender, sacrificing everything they possessed: their peace and comfort, dignity, wealth, homes, and even their very lives, in defence of the collective aspirations and political convictions of the Naga people.
No revisionist narrative, political expediency, or deliberate distortion can erase the sacrifices they made or compensate for the lives they surrendered. The price of their conviction was their very existence. They chose freedom, upheld the historical principles affirmed in the preceding years, and remained steadfast in their convictions to the very end. Their sacrifices speak volumes about the character of our pioneers: their honour, courage, political consciousness, and unyielding determination. These historical realities also debunk narratives that seek to portray them as mere villagers or blind followers. Zasibito Nagi's position as an Assistant Judge of the Angami Tribal Council Court itself attests to his responsible standing within the community, underscoring the shallowness of any attempt to diminish the stature or political awareness of those who stood at the forefront of the national movement.
The NNC/FGN unequivocally condemns the opportunistic elements from within who abandoned the original national principles and repudiated the steadfastness and sacrifices of our pioneers by colluding with our common adversary. Their departure from the established political convictions of the Naga national movement culminated in what we regard as one of its most consequential political blunders: the creation of statehood in 1963. Although statehood has often been portrayed as a political achievement, it must be stated without ambiguity that the sacrifices and steadfastness of the Naga pioneers compelled a significant departure from the Government of India's original position of district autonomy within Assam under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. These sacrifices ultimately contributed to the emergence of statehood through ignoble political manoeuvres. In this broader historical context, the political consciousness and subsequent political arrangements of the northeastern states, with the exception of Assam, cannot be divorced from the historical resistance and sacrifices of the Naga pioneers. Their struggle had consequences extending far beyond the immediate boundaries of the Naga homeland.
The NNC/FGN therefore urges every Naga citizen to honour these sacrifices and refrain from betraying the sacred cause for which our martyrs paid the ultimate price. Instead, the Naga people must stand in alignment with the original Naga political aspiration and reflect deeply upon the historical truth that Naga nationhood was neither the contrivance of a handful of individual leaders pursuing personal interests nor an idea arbitrarily fashioned by a select few. It was a collective national conviction, affirmed by the Naga people and defended by generations who were prepared to sacrifice everything for the principles they upheld.
No passage of time, alteration of political circumstances, or accommodation with prevailing realities can diminish the historical significance of those sacrifices. We must therefore look beyond immediate circumstances and present obstacles, remain steadfast in our historical convictions, and preserve the integrity of the principles entrusted to us by our predecessors. With unwavering faith in God Almighty, we trust that the Naga people will one day witness the fulfilment of their cherished national aspiration.
The NNC/FGN salutes all who remain steadfast in the original national principles and calls upon them to unite in purpose and conviction, join hands in pursuing our collective national cause, and uphold the sacred legacy entrusted to us by our martyrs until our goal is achieved.
The sacrifices of our martyrs remain indelible in history, and the principles for which they gave their lives cannot be extinguished by political expediency or the passage of time.
Rali Wali, NNC/FGN
Under the leadership of Zhopra Vero