In a major blow for NSCN(IM) and its negotiation for a greater Nagalim, Isaac Chishi Swu passed away on Tuesday. The end came at 12.30 noon at the Fortis Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for the last couple of months.
Born in 1929 at a Sema village in the Zunheboto district of Nagaland, he did his early education at American Mission School at Chishilimi and then studied at Government High School in Kohima before obtaining his graduation with honours in Political Science from St. Anthony’s College in Shillong.
He joined NSCN in late 1950’s and served as Foreign Secretary. The Naga National Council (NNC) which was a political organization of Naga people, active from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. Under the leadership of Angami Zapu Phizo in the 1940s, it unsuccessfully campaigned for the secession of the Naga territory from India and creation for a sovereign Naga state after he became the foreign secretary he was later elevated to Vice President NNC.
The 85-year-old NSCNleader Isak Chishi Swu is married to Khulu, and has five sons and one daughter.
Isak Chishi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and S.S. Khaplang were behind the formation of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) on 31 January 1980 opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council (NNC) with the Centre. Following a disagreement, the group split into two factions, the NSCN-K led by S S Khaplang, and the NSCN-IM, led by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah.
In a move that has sparked anger and unease, police in Diphu have detained Karbi youth leader and social activist Lichong Rongphar for spearheading protests demanding eviction of alleged illegal settlers from VGR (Village Grazing Reserve) and PGR (Professional Grazing Reserve) lands in Karbi Anglong.
The irony is stark: while Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s government is carrying out aggressive eviction drives in the plains—Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Goalpara and Uriamghat—similar demands raised in Karbi Anglong are being met with police crackdowns instead of action.
Rongphar had been leading a series of mass protests, insisting that Bengali and Bihari settlers occupying VGR and PGR...
On the auspicious occasion of the birth centenary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, the Assam government has handed over the legendary singer’s neglected residence at Kuthori, Kaziranga, to local residents for preservation.
For the past five years, the house—once vibrant with the maestro’s harmonium, tabla, and compositions—had fallen into disrepair, leaving fans and admirers disheartened. Although the government had acquired the property at a cost of ₹2.51 crore from Fatik Nyog five years ago, no concrete conservation efforts had been initiated since.
Responding to repeated demands from villagers, the government announced today that the residence will be developed into a cultural...
The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika with a vibrant cultural programme at its Central Auditorium.
Themed “Voice of Bhupen Hazarika: Voice of the People; Leading to a Harmonious Society,” the event featured visual presentations, floral tributes, and lively performances by students and faculty.
Prasanta Rajguru, Editor-in-Chief of Prag News, delivered the keynote, highlighting five iconic songs of the maestro and their historical relevance. Actor Kamal Singh presented a special tribute performance, while dignitaries including Dr. Aparna Buzarbaruah graced the occasion.
The celebration...
In a landmark wildlife discovery, the elusive Pallas’s Cat has been documented for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh during an extensive high-altitude survey jointly conducted by the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Arunachal Pradesh and WWF-India.
The survey, carried out between July and September 2024, involved 136 camera traps across 2,000 sq km of rugged terrain in Tawang and West Kameng districts. It not only produced the first photographic record of Pallas’s Cat in the state, but also revealed the presence of five other wild cats — snow leopard, common leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, and marbled cat — at elevations above 4,200 metres...
In a historic gathering that marks a new chapter in Moran political mobilization, the Moran community today formally launched its new political platform, Jatiya Gan Mancha (National People’s Forum), at a mass assembly held at Kakopathar public ground. The event was convened under the aegis of leading Moran organizations, including the Assam Moran Sabha, All Moran Students’ Union, Moran Mahila Parishad, Moran Sahitya Sabha, Moran Art & Culture Development Centre, and the Moran National Educational Development Forum.
The assembly commenced with ceremonial tributes to the community’s forebears, accompanied by devotional songs and cultural performances, setting a solemn and festive tone...
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) loves to wear the mantle of regionalism. It proudly recalls its birth from the Assam Agitation and the sacrifices of 855 martyrs. Yet every fresh controversy over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) exposes the party for what it has become: a political outfit addicted to power, reduced to theatrics whenever Assamese identity is threatened.
The script is depressingly familiar. In 2019, when CAA protests shook Assam, AGP staged a high-decibel drama—ministers resigned, alliance with the BJP was declared broken, the party promised to stand with the people. Two months later, under the cover of midnight negotiations, AGP crawled back into power, its leaders...
Arunachal Pradesh law teacher Gemini Loriak has shaken the internet with a viral classroom talk that cuts deep into India’s collective conscience. In her fiery remarks, she dismantles the stereotype of India as a “lawless country,” declaring that it is not the absence of laws but the refusal of citizens to follow them that creates chaos.
Loriak points to everyday hypocrisy: bribing to bypass queues, fastening seatbelts only when police are in sight, dismissing domestic violence as a “private matter,” normalizing harassment, and celebrating VIP culture while preaching equality.
Quoting the Constitution—Article 14 on Equality, Article 21 on the Right to Life with Dignity, and Article...
In a swift development following public outrage, Assam Police have arrested three officials of Bhartia Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL) after the tragic death of a three-year-old boy who fell into an uncovered drain at the Arya Nagar flyover construction site in Guwahati. The incident, which occurred earlier this week, triggered shock across the city and led to demands for accountability from both the company and government authorities.
According to reports, the toddler, identified as Sunit Kumar, slipped into an unguarded drain within the construction zone. CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts later revealed several exposed manholes and drains left unattended at the site. The flyover work had...
The morning broke like any other Teachers’ Day in Assam. Classrooms across the state were filled with garlands, songs, and the eager smiles of children bowing before their teachers. But while thousands of students offered prayers and gifts, more than 9,000 tutors left their schools behind and walked instead to the Latashil playground in Guwahati.
It was here, on this very day of reverence, that the tutors chose protest over celebration. With banners aloft and voices hoarse with slogans, they demanded not flowers but justice.
“We have given our entire lives to teaching,” one grey-haired tutor said, his eyes moist, his voice trembling. “Today we should have been in the classroom,...
Guwahati, September 5: On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, the All Assam Non-Provincialised Teachers’ and Employees’ Association strongly condemned the state government for neglecting their long-standing demand for provincialisation of services.
Addressing a press conference at Dispur Press Club today, the organisation’s leaders narrated the decades of hardship faced by nearly 4,500 teachers and employees who continue to serve schools and colleges without provincial status. Many of them have been working since the 1990s but remain deprived of government recognition and financial security.
Association secretary Purabi Kalita Saikia termed the new provincialisation law introduced by the...
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