15th Anniversary of Martyrdom of Neli Chakho & Dikho Loshuo Observed

Senapati, May 6: The 15th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Lt. Neli Chakho and Lt. Dikho Loshuo was observed at Martyrs Park, Mao on Tuesday.

In his welcome and keynote address, N. Athikho Joseph, President of Mao Council, stated that 6th May 2010 marked the day when the great leader Th. Muivah, General Secretary of the GPRN, was supposed to visit his native village Somdal. People in the Mao areas gathered to welcome him in a democratic manner. However, some security personnel opened fire to disperse the gathering. As a result, two brilliant students belonging to the Mao tribe—Late Neli Chakho and Late Dikho Loshuo—were killed, and many others were injured. They sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Nagas. The Mao President expressed confidence that their courage, brave deeds, and sacrifices would not go in vain but would remain a lasting legacy and a source of inspiration for all and for generations to come.

Kuba Peter, President of the Naga People’s Organization, stated that the day marked the extraordinary courage and sacrifice shown by the two for the Nagas. They chose honour over fear and stood firm in the face of danger so that the Nagas could live in peace and dignity. Their sacrifice should not be just a part of history but the foundation of the present. The President reminded that freedom is not a gift but a responsibility for all. On the day of martyrdom, he urged everyone to bow their heads in gratitude to the duo and renew their promise to be worthy of the legacy they left behind.

Ashiho Asoumai, Kilo Kilonser of the GPRN, in his message, stated that the people were gathered under the shadow of history—a shadow cast by a deep wound that refuses to fade. On this very day, 15 years ago, in the sacred land of the Mao Naga hills, two promising young lives, Neli Chakho and Dikho Loshuo, were tragically taken. They became martyrs—unwillingly, unfairly, but heroically. People had not gathered merely to remember their deaths but to celebrate their lives, their courage, and the spirit they embodied. They were students full of dreams and aspirations, driven by the desire to live with dignity and self-respect as Naga people in their own land. However, that dream was shattered by the barrel of guns and the cold machinery of state repression.

“May 6, 2010, was not just an attack on two individuals. It was an attack on our Naga identity, an attack on the collective voice of the Nagas, an attack on the very existence of us as Naga people,” the Kilonser stated.

He added that the duo died because they stood up, because they refused to be silent, and because they believed in the freedom of identity. They died fighting for their rights and defending the land of their forefathers from aggressors without fear. They died because they were Naga.

Fifteen years have passed, yet the pain of that day remains fresh. The gunfire that echoed through the peaceful Naga hills still reverberates in memory, and the blood that stained the soil has become a permanent mark on the conscience of the region. The Kilonser asserted that people have a responsibility—a sacred duty—to ensure that their deaths were not in vain, stating that one must never forget that history, if ignored, repeats itself. Their names are engraved into the soul of this land. They live on in the struggle, in the songs, in the stories, and in the spirits of the Nagas.

While addressing the youth of the region, the Kilonser said that the supreme sacrifice of the two brothers is a legacy—not a legacy of pain, but of pride—urging them to stand tall and learn their history to defend their identity. He urged the people to carry forward the flame of the martyrs not with anger, but with knowledge, unity, and determination. He added that the present generation can shape a better future only if they know their history. “It is not enough to mourn; we must also move, act, and build. Let this day not be one of sadness alone but of awakening. Today, let us recommit ourselves to continue fighting till we get back what rightfully belongs to us,” he said, and prayed that the sacrifice of Lt. Neli Chakho and Lt. Dikho Loshuo may light the path ahead and remain worthy of the price they paid.

Ng. Lorho, President of the United Naga Council, stated that the UNC paid patriotic tribute and saluted the two heroes, Neli Chakho and Dikho Loshuo, who made the ultimate sacrifice on 6th May 2010. On this fateful day, when the National Leader Th. Muivah, Ato Kilonser of the GPRN, was denied the right to enter his own homeland of Somdal Village in Ukhrul, Mao Gate was turned into a war zone with hundreds of State Security Forces and paramilitary personnel deployed, and Section 144 CrPC imposed. Yet, the Naga people stood united and raised their voices democratically to assert their rights. However, the Manipur State Security Forces (Commandos) responded with militarized violence, firing tear gas and live bullets at the peaceful rally. These two promising young men were brutally shot dead on the spot, and hundreds of women and elderly persons were injured. The act of the security forces was nothing but an attack on the dignity of the entire Naga people.

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“Our struggle is not for violence, but for a future where our dignity, identity, and political rights are fully realized, and so we will not back down,” the President asserted. While commemorating the 15th Martyrdom Anniversary, he said, “We rise in remembrance, in pride, and in solemn tribute to the brave martyrs and say to the families of the martyrs that they are not gone—they live in every heart that calls itself Naga, for they became the living conscience of the Naga nation.”

The UNC pledged to reaffirm their commitment to continue the struggle unitedly as a people and a nation until the Nagas achieve their common political aspiration, with hope that the long-awaited Indo-Naga political settlement, based on the Framework Agreement, will soon reach a logical conclusion.

Wreaths were laid at the beginning of the program by dignitaries from the UNC, ANSAM, NPO, SDWA, SDSA, NPMHR-South, Mao Council, Mao Students’ Union, Mao Naga Women’s Welfare Association, Kalinamai Youth & Students’ Organisation, and well-wishers.

A one-minute silence was observed in honour of the two martyrs during the program.