Bullets & The Bible

With secrecy and uncertainty surrounding the Naga accord, THE WEEK takes you inside Hebron, a small region dominated by Baptist Christians, where the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) is running a parallel government, complete with ministries and a 15,000-strong army.

- Namrata Biji Ahuja

General Phungting Shimrang sat behind an ancient wooden desk in his little office, arms within arm’s reach. Guards with weapons stood menacingly outside, and a personal guard hovered around. The evening was dark; the jungle was wet after a drizzle.

He took a sip of green tea from a glass tumbler, and sang:

“If you know your history, then you would know where you are coming from.

Then you wouldn’t have to ask me, who the heck do I think I am.”

Then, all of a sudden, he threw a poser at me: “Have you heard of ‘Buffalo Soldier, stolen from Africa brought to America? Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival?’ This is what I tell the children. Know your history. That’s what Bob Marley said.”

Then, smiling, the commander-in-chief of the army of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) drew to his full height to welcome us to Hebron, his secret headquarters deep in the Naga jungle, 110km from Kohima. Named after the town mentioned in the Old Testament (most Nagas are Baptist Christians), Hebron has always been forbidden to outsiders. It is from here that Shimrang and his predecessors have been directing the operations of their 15,000-strong army, against an entire corps of the world’s fourth largest army, in the world’s longest running insurgency.