JOIN USThe arrest and interrogation of a top NSCN-K leader and some cadres by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed serious differences between NSCN-K leaders had split the group.
It reportedly happened before NSCN-K chief S S Khaplang decided to abrogate the ceasefire deal with New Delhi on March 27 and order his cadre to step up offensive against the Army along the Indo-Myanmar border.
While some Indian Naga leaders of militant groups reportedly favoured the ceasefire, Myanmarese Naga leaders in the group supported the stand of Khaplang, himself a Myanmarese Naga. This also led to the group's split.
Highly placed NIA sources said interrogation of arrested NSCN-K leaders Khumlo Abi Anal and Khekaho Rochill, operating from Manipur and Nagaland, has indicated that Khaplang had made up his mind long ago to not extend the ceasefire beyond March 2015, as he felt New Delhi was not interested in peace parleys with his groups, and would rather maintain status quo.
This way, Khaplang felt, New Delhi was giving more importance to the rival NSCN-IM, which is involved in a ceasefire since 1997.
Khaplang also felt the status quo was not harming the image of his group, which has Nagas from different clans from both Indian and Myanmar, and more so after it clinched a crucial peace deal with the Myanmarese authorities in Sagaing division, where NSCN-K and other North-eastern militants groups reportedly maintain base.
NIA custody
The Manipur Police arrested Khumlo on June 11 and the NIA subsequently took him into custody on June 29 in connection with the Chandel ambush, where 18 Indian Army troopers were killed and 11 others were injured.
Khekaho was arrested from Nagaland on May 26, when he had entered Nagaland from Myanmar on Khaplang's instruction to intensify operations against Indian security forces, a Military Intelligence (MI) source told Deccan Herald. Khekaho is also in NIA custody.
Both leaders have further revealed that all top NSCN-K leaders from India had travelled to NSCN-K’s headquarters at Taga in Myanmar's Sagaing division for discussions with Khaplang.
Khaplang then sent a missive to his top leaders on the Indian side not to attend the March 27 meeting with Home Ministry officials for extension of ceasefire. While Indian Naga leaders in the group, like military head Niki Sumi, and Isak Sumi decided to back Khaplang, Wangtin and Tikhak defied the directive and attended the meeting, leading to a vertical split as Wangtin and Tikhak formed NSCN-Reformation.