An intelligent and educated Th. Muivah, having won the initial trust of AZ Phizo, the father of militant Naga national movement, had thwarted the peace deal which was in the offing in 1966. Th. Muivah had misled Mowu Angami, the Chief of ‘Naga Army’, against the deal and triggered inter-tribal bloody clashes between Semas and Angamis.
As the General Secretary, NNC, Muivah held a meeting of handpicked leaders on April 18-19, 1966 at Chieziema Village in Kohima district and, on April 20, 1966, issued a warning to the Naga negotiators who were engaged in finalising the deal with Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, not to settle for anything less than full independence. Later he made Mowu Angami issue another warning to the Naga negotiators in August. (No. SOR/579-04 dated Oking, the 17th August 1966) Direct military threat from the Naga Army Chief was the last nail in the coffin of dead peace deal.
Having sabotaged the peace deal, Th. Muivah along with Thinoselie, an Angami General of Naga Army set for China in November 1966 to seek Chinese help. They returned after six months. A disgruntled Thinoselie renounced violence and settled for a peaceful life. Even Mowu Angami, realising the futility of violence, did the same.
By the end of 1971, momentous geo-political developments in South Asia in favour of India had occurred. Despite American and Chinese Intense support, Pakistan could not save East Pakistan. Bangladesh was liberated. It was a huge shock to the NNC hardliners. A wave of hardline leaders and cadres renounced violence in 1972-73. Revolutionary Govt. of Nagaland led by Scato Swo could struck a deal with Delhi.
Scato Swu became member of Rajya Sabha in 1974. Even Viyalie Metha, the then Chief of Naga Army, began pursuing peace, Nagaland was returning to peace and normalcy. The Church played a commendable role, at times to the personal risk of some Church leaders, in helping restoration of peace.
Here it is pertinent to mention that by this time flames of Naga nationalism had not yet spread to Manipur though a few Manipuri Nagas had joined the movement. A fast-emerging peaceful Nagaland was not to in the Muivah’s interest. He being a Tangkhul from Manipur did not see a political future in Nagaland.
It was in this backdrop that Muivah decided to exploit innocent Nagas faith in the name of Jesus Christ for his political ambition. He made Pastor Khipfelo, the head Chaplain of the Naga Army in early 1974, to see a ‘Vision’ 1974 in which the Holy Jesus exhorted the Nagas to go to China for the Naga Independence. He made this ‘Vision’ public on 14th August 1974, the day NNC observed as Naga Independence Day. Simple Nagas were manipulated, mislead and misguided. Muivah managed to raise the group of some 200 youths including girls, a good number of them were from Tangkhul region of Manipur, and set for China in November, the same year. He compelled a reluctant Pastor Khipfelo to accompany them fearing that if left behind he might spill the beans on ‘Vision’.
Some of the senior Tangkhul leaders of NSCN-IM today, including V.S. Atem, were members of this group. Chinese gave them six months’ training in various facets of guerrilla warfare – like weapons firing, laying ambush, handling explosives, wireless communication etc. Atem, who later rose to the Chief of NSCN-IM’s Army, was trained in medical aid to the injured and sick cadres.
While returning from China, in early 1976, Muivah eliminated some of the Phizo loyalists in the group. One of the first to be killed was Major General Namlu Konyak, the Chief of the Naga Army contingent. In order to quell the rebellion among the Konyak cadres, following the killing of Namlu, he promoted Lt. Col. Khole Konyak to the rank of Brigadier and appointed him as his military advisor. With an eye on the full control over the armed cadres, he made Lt. Col. Pamrie, a Tangkhul and loyalist of Muivah, as the Chief of the armed contingent.
Apprehensive of a likely leakage of the ‘Vision’, Muivah killed Pastor Khipfelo, on March 29, 1976 while the group was camping at Longcheng in Kachin area, Burma alleging that he had an illicit relation with Zonelu, a girl cadre. Poor Zonelu was also killed along with the Pastor. Brutal killing of Pastor Khipfelo and Miss Zonelu triggered resentment in the group. Resentment became more obvious because the group members were aware of ongoing extra-marital affairs between Isak Chishi Swu, the then Foreign Secretary, NNC, who was also in the group, and Miss Khulu Sema, another girl cadre. Muivah compelled Isak to marry Khulu the very next day on March 30 to nip the rebellion. Isak and Khulu wrote letters of apology to their respective parents seeking forgiveness for marrying without their customary prior blessings.
Abusing Nagas faith in their saviour, Jesus Christ, Muivah raised an army of Tangkhuls equipped with Chinese weapons and unleashed the bloodiest violence on the Nagas of Nagaland and denied them a yet another God sent opportunity for peace.
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