R.N. Ravi's exit from the post of Nagaland interlocutor may have fulfilled the demand of the disgruntled Naga groups, particularly the NSCN(IM) led by T.H. Muivah with whom the peace talks have hit a deadlock, but the task has become even bigger for his successor, with the Indo-Naga peace process under threat of being destabilised after five years.
It was Ravi who inked the framework agreement with the largest insurgent outfit, NSCN(IM), in 2015, but after five years, it is not just the NSCN(IM) but even the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), a group of six Naga political outfits, with whom Ravi was holding peace talks, are upset.
After the Naga outfits accused Ravi of adopting a divide and rule policy and tweaking the original agreement, the Intelligence Bureau, under the home ministry, started talking to the outfits last year, trying to prevent an escalation from either side.
The NSCN (IM) and other factions like NSCN(KN) NSCN (R) are in a ceasefire agreement with the Centre. IB officials have been playing a major role in last few months to maintain status quo and diffuse the rising temperatures lest it impacts the ceasefire agreement. Now, former Intelligence Bureau special director Akshay Mishra is tipped to take charge from Ravi as interlocutor for the Naga peace talks. Mishra has spent considerable time understanding the Naga issue and is learnt to have good relations with the senior members of the outfit. Mishra, a 1987 batch IPS officer, retired in June.
The task ahead is a difficult one for Mishra. Apart from the peace talks, the NNPGs are disturbed by allegations by security forces that the Naga groups are procuring arms from Myanmar. The Working Committee (WC) of Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) have accused the agencies of “cooking up stories to destabilise the Indo-Naga peace process.”
“The Naga populace in Myanmar are undergoing untold misery at the hands of Burmese junta. Since February 2021, the arrest and killing of innocent civilians have risen sharply. Thousands of Naga people have fled their homes, pouring into Indian side of Naga homeland,” said the working committee in a statement.
The Naga outfits said they will continue to support their kin who are facing a humanitarian crisis. This is making the task of intelligence and security agencies even tougher.
A senior NNPG leader said security forces are conducting multiple raids on the residences of senior Naga National workers affiliated to various political groups within NNPGs.
“Raids on Lt. Col. Ngukato (NSCN/GPRN-Khango/Isak) have been conducted four times within a fortnight. Likewise, pre-dawn raids on the residence of Khekato Kilonser (NSCN-R) have happened four times in the month of September,” said the leader. The Naga groups are now demanding that the central government should understand the Naga position and focus on a political solution to the problem at the earliest.
