Guwahati: A group representing the Naga people has accused the BBC of “institutional amnesia” and “perpetuating colonial injustice” in its reporting on the Naga people. The group, which calls itself the Naga International Support Center (NISC), specifically criticizes the BBC for referring to the Naga Homeland as “Indian territory.”
The NISC asserts that the Naga people have a long history of sovereign existence predating both British colonialism and Indian independence. They point to the Naga Nation’s declaration of independence on August 14, 1947, a full day before India declared independence, as evidence of this.
The NISC also noted that Britain, despite having direct colonial control over the Naga Homeland from 1830 to 1947, never legally transferred the territory to India.
The group argues that the BBC’s reporting, by ignoring these historical facts, reinforces colonial narratives and actively participates in the erasure of Naga sovereignty.
They demanded that the BBC acknowledge its role in perpetuating colonial narratives and commit to corrective action, including launching an immediate independent investigation into the legal status of the Naga Homeland’s transfer and producing comprehensive documentary coverage examining Britain’s colonial legacy in Nagalim.
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