Thechazelhu Kevichüsa Meru (; 13 May 1943 – 23 September 1992), commonly known as Chalie Kevichüsa, was an Indian journalist from

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

who was also involved in politics. He was the

executive editor Executive (Exe (disambiguation), exe., Exec (disambiguation), exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (exec ...

and

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

of ''

Ura Mail ''Ura Mail'' was a weekly English newspaper published from Dimapur. It was the first local English weekly newspaper published from Nagaland, India. Journalists On 23 September 1992, Chalie Kevichüsa, the editor-in-chief of ''Ura Mail'' wa ...

'' from June 1976 until his assassination in September 1992.Haralu, Lhusi and Chandola, Mene.: ''Chalie, A Life Remembered, 1943–1992'', 2012.

Early life

Thechazelhu Chalie Kevichüsa was born on 13 May 1943 at Mission Compound,

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

. His mother and father were Germanthangi and

Kevichüsa Angami Kevichüsa Nisier Meru (15 April 1903 – 28 December 1990) was an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament, representing Nagaland in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament. He was the first Naga IAS Officer and also the firs ...

. His mother is Mizo originating from present-day

Mizoram Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo people, Mizo", the endonym, self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo ...

. His father is

Angami Naga The Angamis are a major Naga ethnic group native to the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. The Angami Nagas are predominantly settled in Kohima District, Chümoukedima District and Dimapur District of Nagaland and are also recognized as one of ...

originating from

Khonoma Khonoma is an Angami Naga village located about 20 km west from the state capital, Kohima in Nagaland, India. The village is referred to as Khwüno-ra (named after the Angami term for a local plant, Glouthera fragrantisima). The total popula ...

. In 1967, he completed his graduation with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from St. Edmund's College, Shillong.

Career

Kevichüsa first began his political career in 1968 when he joined the United Front of Nagaland (UFN) as a voluntary party worker. While still a party worker he also served as the Head Master of Central High School, Dimapur. Chalie Kevichüsa then served as the editor and publisher of ''

'' from June 1976. With the proclamation of Emergency in 1975, Kevichüsa along with other party leaders were incarcerated in the Nowgaon Special Jail from November 1976 to March 1977. In August 1992, Kevichüsa founded the Democratic Labour Party.

Assassination

Chalie Kevichüsa was assassinated on Wednesday, 23 September 1992. He was dropping his daughter for her tuition class, when armed men from the

NSCN-IM The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga nationalist separatist group operating mainly in Northeast India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar (Burma). The main aim of the organisation is to establish a sovereign Naga ...

opened fire on his vehicle after several days of tracking his movements at Fellowship Colony,

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...

. Kevichüsa was killed and his daughter was wounded.Hazarika, Sanjoy.
''Strangers Of The Mist: Tales of War and Peace from India's Northeast''
2000. Penguin UK.

Reactions

Large protest processions were held in Dimapur and Kohima against his killing, and a large number of people turned out at his funeral.

Funeral

At the funeral service, Razhukhrielie Kevichüsa, the elder brother of Chalie Kevichüsa said:

''“We as a family forgive those who have done this.”'' ''“...the family, the clan and the tribe will not let violence and blood flow again”'' ''“those who killed our brother are also our brothers and there is no scope for vengeance”''.

NSCN-IMs response

In his interview with Deepak Dewan, the Political Editor of ''North East Sun'' Magazine on 28 November 1998 when asked about Chalie Kevichüsa,

Thuingaleng Muivah Thuingaleng Muivah (born 3 March 1934) is a Naga separatist politician and General Secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland(I-M). Early career He joined the Naga National Council (NNC), an armed group campaigning for secessio ...

said:

“Mr. Chalie joined politics and started propagating the Shillong Accord very actively. There were some persons who had been given the authority of settling the Indo–Naga issue among themselves, sidelining most other forces. We have to make them realise their mistakes. In the process many will die. Chalie's killing, whether by us or by anyone else will not be a surprise. Thousands of Nagas are dying and many more will die. There is not much reason why Kevichüsa and Chalie be singled out or Lungshim should be singled out” — (Quote: ''North East Sun'' Magazine, from 28 November 1998 interview)

Personal life

Family

Kevichüsa married Seyievino on 20 January 1971. Together the couple had three daughters and two sons.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kevichüsa, Chalie Naga people 1943 births 1992 deaths People from Kohima 1992 murders in India Kevichüsa family Indian politicians assassinated in the 20th century Asian politicians assassinated in the 1990s Politicians assassinated in 1992