Ukhrul, September 1: The Working Committee (WC), Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) has strongly objected to the summon orders issued against Gen. (Retd.) Niki Sumi, his wife Shelly Sumi, and relatives by the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the Cheirap Court Complex, Imphal West, scheduled for September 26, 2025.
According to WC, NNPGs, the summons to answer charges is “a deliberate criminalization of Naga political issue and is therefore unacceptable.” The statement said it is wrong to enforce the Indian judiciary system and jurisprudence against Naga revolutionary leaders when political deliberations are ongoing for a possible solution.
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Calling the move “very unfortunate,” the Committee said it was a grim reminder that the Government of India (GoI) had no political will to solve the decades-old Indo-Naga issue. It alleged that a number of anti-Naga elements were working at the behest of Indian agencies to demean, distort historical facts, and erase Naga history.
The WC, NNPGs further stated that while their identities are known, the present moment should be used to find a solution to the Indo-Naga issue and not to target individuals propagating anti-Naga agendas.
The statement emphasized that, regardless of differences among the groups, Nagas are related by blood, land, and the common desire to resolve the issue. It also pointed out that WC, NNPGs and the GoI are two separate entities but had agreed to resolve the Indo-Naga political conflict through an “honourable, acceptable and inclusive solution.”
Although not a negotiating entity, Gen. Niki Sumi was described as “an important stakeholder.” Defending Naga history and identity, the WC reminded that the pioneering Naga political leaders did not require consent from any power when they wrote to the British Simon Commission on January 10, 1929, asking to be left alone in their own genius as in ancient times. Similarly, it recalled that Nagas did not require consent when Naga Independence was declared on August 14, 1947, and when the Naga plebiscite was conducted on May 16, 1951.
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Citing these political values, WC, NNPGs said the GoI had invited them to New Delhi, where the Agreed Position was signed on November 17, 2017. Political negotiations that followed were successfully concluded on October 31, 2019.
The Committee also highlighted that in the Status Paper Sl. 15 under Ending All Hostilities, a clause states: “All criminal and other proceedings initiated against Naga Revolutionary Cadres, political and civil society members, religious institutions and public servants whatsoever in connection with the Naga Revolutionary Freedom Movement shall be quashed/withdrawn…”
The WC, NNPGs said the GoI has acknowledged Naga history and identity, while Nagas too have acknowledged contemporary political realities. While both sides have negotiated for an enduring and harmonious peaceful coexistence, WC Convener N. Kitovi Zhimomi and all Co-Conveners maintained that it is not in the interest of either the GoI nor the Nagas to summon Naga revolutionary leaders at this juncture.
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