BASIC FACTS ABOUT TUENSANG DISTRICT

Upto the beginning of the 20th Century, the present Tuensang was a vast tract of land between Assam and Burma ( now Myanmar). During this period every village in the area was an autonomous state or village state. Each village was self sufficient. Every village was well defended. It was a time of head-hunting. Many of the villages were constantly at war with one another. They often waged wars against villages in controlled areas under the British India Government. The villages in the unadministered area raided the administered villages and heads were taken. As a result the British authorities were forced to take punitive action against the offending villages. The British could not remain a silent spectator when raids and massacres were carried out in their controlled area. The Government took cognizance of it and tried to prevent it by sending expeditions against the offending villages. Thus many expeditions were carried out into the unadministered area by the British India Government. The first British punitive expedition reached Tuensang on 12th January 1889 from Kohima via Wokha. The offending villages often put up strong resistance. It was only after long battles that the superior British forces overcame the villages. As a punishment, the villages were burnt and indemnity was imposed on them. Before long the British India Government felt the need to bring this area under its administration but could not do so immediately for the lack of finance and man-power. So the area was left unadministered until the government was ready for it. This condition continued till the beginning of 20th century with more and more areas in the then Naga Hills which was formed in 1866, coming under administration.

The area of the no administration could not continue for long and by the year 1914 the Foreign and Political Department of Government of India by a notification extended the Assam Frontier Tract Regulation of 1880 to the Hills which were inhabited by Nagas and other hill tribes. Thereby the Government brought the hitherto unadministered area under some sort of administration in 1914 and the area was named North East Frontier Tract. So the present Tuensang district also officially came under the purview of this notification, but in practice there was no administration till 1948.

INTRODUCTION OF ADMINISTRATION

As per the Book ‘ Nagaland’ written by Verrier Elwin ( page 27) published by the Government from Shillong 1960, “From 1902, under the provisions of a special Order- in- Council, the Tuensang villages were administered by the Governor-General of India through the Governor of Assam as his Agent and he was authorized to apply any British India Law to them. The Government of India Act of 1935 continued this arrangement, and Tuensang was defined as ”Tribal Area” within India. There was no change in its status at Independence; the Indian Independence Act of 1947 and the extra Provincial Jurisdiction Act of the same year authorized the Government of India to continue its administration.” However, the administration of this area remained in name only. The administration did not extend beyond a few Tuensang group of villages. In 1914, the Assam Frontier Tract Regulation of 1880 was extended to this area. It remained a Tribal Area under section 311 of the Government of India Act, 1935. As such no Laws of British India would apply to this area unless extended thereto under the Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947. However, from 1950, the Naga Tribal Area which was renamed as Tuensang District was included in part ‘B’ of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and therefore, all Acts of Parliament enacted after 1950 would apply thereto. Further, under the Tuensang Assimilation of Laws Act 1955, all laws which were in force in North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) were also made applicable to the district of Tuensang. In 1954, the North East Frontier Tract was renamed North East Frontier Agency and Tuensang Area came to be known as Tuensang Frontier Division. In 1957, it was separated from NEFA and joined with Naga Hills to form Naga Hills Tuensang Area ( NHTA), but its legal position would remain unaltered. As regard to Tuensang district, no Assam Laws enacted between 1950 to 1963 would apply to Tuensang district. Further, no Assam Laws passed after 1963 can apply to Tuensang district.

The Naga Hills Tuensang Area Act , 1957 was enacted forming a new administrative unit in Assam by the name of Naga Hills Tuensang Area comprising the former Naga Hills District of Assam and Tuensang Frontier Division of NEFA as per decision of the Naga People’s Convention held at Kohima on 22nd August 1957. The NHTA ( Administration ) Regulation, 1957 divided the area into three districts namely, Kohima, Mokokchung and Tuensang. The NHTA was formed on 1st December 1957. The State of Nagaland Act, 1962 converted the NHTA into separate state comprising of the three districts – Kohima Mokokchung and Tuensang. In December 1973, the districts of Nagaland were recognized and the number of districts came to be seven. In the process of reorganization, Tuensang was divided into two, such as Tuensang and Mon. Thus what is now Mon District was formally upto December 1973, apart of Tuensang District.

PRESENT ADMINISTRATION

Even when Nagaland became a full fledged State in 1963, Tuensang continued to remain a special charge of the Governor of Nagaland and there was specially a Minister for Tuensang Affairs in the Nagaland Cabinet. So the Deputy Commissioner was no longer responsible to the Governor directly, but to the Minister for Tuensang Affairs and thereby helping the Governor discharging his special responsibility. This position continued till December 1973 when the ten-year term of special charge of the Governor, after the Statehood from 1st December 1963 expired. So the prerogative of the Deputy Commissioner for special powers also expired from that date, and the district came at par with the rest of the districts in Nagaland. The Deputy Commissioner is in over all charge of the general supervision of the district administration. He is assisted by several subordinates such as ADC, SDO(C), EACs, Do Bashis and Goan Buras, in the district headquarter, administrative and other centres in the district.

A special mention of the Do Bashis and the Goan Buras may be made here for the special power vested on them. This is an Institution introduced by the British administrators and it still exist today, though deprived of much of its power with the change of time and circumstances. Nevertheless the Do Bashis and the Goan Buras still play vital roles helping the administrators in the efficient execution of their duties and functions in the district