Perietsü Tubu Kevichüsa (; 30 March 1948 – 4 June 1996) was the General Secretary of

Naga National Council The Naga National Council (NNC) is a political organization of Naga people, active from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. It evolved out of the Naga Hills District Tribal Council, an organization established in 1945 by the Deputy Commissioner of ...

who served until his assassination in June 1996 by 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 ...

. His brother Chalie Kevichüsa was also assassinated by the NSCN-IM in September 1992.

Early life

Perietsü Tubu Kevichüsa was born on 30 March 1948 in

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 ...

to a prominent family with significant political influence in

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 ...

throughout the last half of the 20th century. His mother and father were Germanthangi and Kevichüsa Angami. 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 ...

Career

Kevichüsa began his career as a lawyer but left India in the 1980s to work with the separatist

Federal Government of Nagaland Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

under

Angami Zapu Phizo Angami Zapu Phizo (16 May 1904 – 30 April 1990) was a Naga nationalist leader with British nationality. Under his influence, the Naga National Council asserted the right to self-determination which took the shape of armed resistance after the ...

. On 9 July 1983, Kevichüsa wrote a letter to

Isak Chishi Swu Isak Chishi Swu (11 November 1929 – 28 June 2016) was the chairman of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN). He along with Thuingaleng Muivah and S. S. Khaplang were instrumental in the creation of NSCN on 31 January 1980 after ...

and

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 ...

, with an intention to remind them that the formation of

NSCN 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 ...

was wrong. His letter is quoted as follow:

''“You simply just cannot expect the people to accept a manifesto drafted in a remote jungle hideout as a gospel truth! Our people have a strong sense of tradition and the only ism that they know is Naga Nationalism so that a Socialist manifesto is an obscure to them as some ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic. As for the intellectuals and pseudo intellectuals, a Socialist manifesto is just another piece of literature which they come across daily, to be read, discarded and forgotten”''. ''“What I am trying to say is that while both of you (Isak C. are Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah) capable leaders, none of you are theoreticians. Hence your attempt to provide a new theoretical basis for the Nagas is bound to fail. With certain exceptions, theoreticians cannot be leaders and leaders cannot be theoreticians. And what I am trying to plead for is that we, just cannot ignore tradition and we must never pollute the spirit of Naga Nationalism with other forms of ism”''.

Assassination

On 4 June 1996, around midnight Kevichüsa was assassinated by armed rebels from the

at his personal residence at Burma Camp,

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 ...

Funeral

At the funeral, Razhukhrielie Kevichüsa, the eldest brother said:

''“We forgive those who have done this.”''

Khrielie Kevichüsa also said the same at the funeral of Tubu's elder brother Chalie Kevichüsa in 1992. On his tombstone at the Kevichüsa's Family Burial Ground is engraved, the Bible verse Isaiah 49:4 from the

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...

I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.

NSCN-IM's response

Deepak Dewan, the Political Editor of ''North East Sun'' asked

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, Thailand, on the killing of Kevichüsa, Muivah said:

''“His brother'' (Tubu) ''deserved to be shot. And we don't make any secret of it. You know how Tubu behaved. How he started condemning everybody. He did not have any regard for any national workers. And he started projecting himself as a person who was all in all.”'' — (Quote: ''North East Sun'', 1-14 August 1998 issue, page 15)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kevichüsa, Tubu Naga people 1948 births 1996 deaths People from Dimapur Assassinated Indian politicians 1996 murders in India