Kohima, Sept 10: Nagaland Governor RN Ravi and interlocutor of Naga peace talks has been relieved of his position. He will now become the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

Besides Ravi’s appointment, Banwarilal Purohit, who was the Governor of Tamil Nadu till now, has been sent to poll-bound Punjab, and Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, who retired as Deputy Chief of Army staff, has been appointed the Uttarakhand Governor after incumbent Baby Rani Maurya resigned.

RN Ravi took charge as Nagaland’s 29th Governor in 2019. During his time as the interlocutor, he often clashed politically with many people in the state.

On September 2, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) appealed to RN Ravi for Naga peace to “rise from his self-induced slumber” and “hold his tongue and action in the interest of peaceful co-existence” between the Nagas and its neighbours.

His removal will no doubt bring cheers to a section of Naga community.

Controversy caused by Guv Ravi

On the eve of the 75th Indian Independence Day when Nagas across the globe were celebrating the 75th Naga Independence Day, Nagaland Governor RN Ravi had once again caused a controversy by saying that “Nagaland has been and shall ever remain an integral part of India”.

Due to the deteriorating relationship between NSCN-IM and Ravi, the Naga peace process has had a rough ride in the last couple of years. The Framework Agreement for Naga Peace Accord having been signed in 2025, the government has not been able to finalise the Accord.

The relationship between RN Ravi and NSCN-IM soured in early 2020 after the former wrote to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, criticising the law and order situation. He 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”.

RN Ravi is a 1976-batch IPS officer of the Kerala cadre. He has worked closely with Ajit Doval and retired as Intelligence Bureau Special Director in 2012.

NSCN(K) Niki signs ceasefire agreement with Government of India

In a significant development on Wednesday the Government of India and the NSCN(K) Niki entered into a ceasefire agreement for one year.

The agreement, aimed at bringing about “lasting peace in the State of Nagaland with the involvement of Naga people”, was signed in Delhi by Piyush Goyal, additional secretary to the government of India, and NSCN (K) Niki representatives Nikato Pilot Sumi, supervisor of the Ceasefire Supervisory Board (CFSB), and Abel Zingru Thuer, a CFSB member.