The Nationalist Naga Council (NNC) met in May 1960 at Washelo, where leaders resolved to expel Indian armed forces from Naga territory. In August, the Naga Army launched an attack on the 14th Assam Rifle outpost at Thuda (Phor Village) in the Pochury region. The assault, commanded by Major General Zuheto of the Eastern Command 1st Brigade and Lt. Colonel Thorpa of the 4th Battalion, took place during the height of the monsoon, with the Tizu, Lanye and Thethsü rivers in full spate.
The attack began on 14 August after the Naga forces destroyed six bridges over the rivers to block reinforcements. The siege lasted four days, during which both sides ran low on ammunition. Indian Air Force planes attempted to drop relief supplies, but were intercepted, and a DC‑3 transport aircraft was shot down on the fourth day, crashing in a paddy field at Zathsü. Four pilots and five crew were captured, the first aircraft ever downed by the Naga Army. Subsequent Indian Army operations to rescue the airmen resulted in the burning of several villages and widespread atrocities.
On 1 September, six villagers from Phor Village were tortured to death, including village chief Lt. Türachu and others. Three villagers from Yisi Village were killed on 3 September, and two from Mokie Village met the same fate. In Laruri, Lt. Lingsang was buried alive, while Lt. Nyukhrüsü and Lt. Rhorüpa of Meluri were beaten and decapitated. The villages of Tsiküzo and Külüopfü were abandoned after the brutality.
On 6 September, the 16th Punjab Regiment encircled Matikhrü village and forced men to perform naked exercises for five hours before executing the village chief Lt. Thah and eight other leaders, totaling nine deaths. The army refused to allow last rites; bodies were dumped and burned. Women and children fled to the jungle, where survivors endured hardship for months. The Naga Army later rescued them, and they eventually moved to Burma, staying in a camp at Sathi. Gavin Young recorded their plight in 1961, noting only thirty survivors after two‑and‑a‑half years in the wilderness. The village was reestablished in 1963, and Pochury now observes 6 September as Black Day to honor those who suffered and died for Naga freedom.
