The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has accepted the resignation of the Government of India's Representative and Interlocutor for Naga Peace Talks and Nagaland Governor R N Ravi, who was handling the Naga peace process for the last couple of years.
"R.N. Ravi's resignation as interlocutor for the Naga peace process, submitted by him today has been accepted with immediate effect by Government of India," Home Ministry Spokesperson tweeted on Wednesday.
The Naga peace process has had a rough ride in the last couple of years due to the deteriorating relationship between the National Socialist Council of Nagaland or the NSCN (IM), the lead Naga group negotiating with the Centre, and Ravi. Despite a Framework Agreement for Naga Peace Accord having been signed in 2015, the government has not been able to finalise the Accord.
Last year, the relationship between the two sides became so strained that NSCN-IM sought Ravi's removal for the talks to be successful. In fact, for the last year, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has been interacting with Naga groups, particularly NSCN-IM, for the Naga Peace Accord.
The relationship between Ravi and NSCN-IM soured in early 2020 after the former wrote to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, criticising the law and order situation.
Pointing to "rampant extortion and violence", Ravi had alleged that "armed gangs" were running parallel governments, "challenging the legitimacy of the state government". The state government had said his assessment was not "factual".
A 1976-batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, Ravi was appointed as the interlocutor for Naga peace talks in 2014 and took charge as the state's 19th governor in 2019.
( With inputs from ANI )
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