New Delhi, Sep 22 (UNI) Former Nagaland Governor RN Ravi, who was recently shifted to Tamil Nadu, resigned as the interlocutor for the Naga peace process on Wednesday, and his resignation was accepted by the Government, the Home Ministry said.
Ravi, who has been the Centre’s interlocutor for the Naga peace talks since 2014, was appointed the Governor of Tamil Nadu earlier this month.
According to sources, former Intelligence Bureau special director Akshay Mishra, who is the in-charge of Northeast Affairs, and had been dealing with various Naga groups, is likely to replace Ravi. Mishra retired in July this year.
A 1976 batch officer from Kerala cadre, Ravi had retired as Special Director in Intelligence Bureau in 2012. He became the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee from 2014 for three years.
He was the Centre’s interlocutor in 2015, when the government signed a framework agreement for a settlement of the Naga question with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isaac-Muivah), the largest of the Naga armed groups.
He was appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor of India in 2018.
Nagaland Peace Accord between the Nagas and Indian government was achieved during his stint as the interlocutor in August 2015, a major breakthrough for achieving peace in the region since the 1997 ceasefire agreement.
After the accord was signed, Ravi also drew six other Naga armed groups, now called Naga National Political Groups, into the talks.
As an interlocutor, Ravi had a fallout with the Isak Muivah-led National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) in 2020 with whom he had manoeuvred the signing of the 2015 Framework Agreement. Subsequently, the NSCN (IM) sought him removed as interlocutor.
Despite a Framework Agreement for Naga Peace Accord having been signed in 2015, the government has not been able to finalise the Accord.
On Tuesday, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had met representatives of NSCN-(IM) along with Mishra, resuming the peace talks which were stalled in October 2019.
UNI AO SHK2059