Ralengnao Khathing was born on 28 February 1912 (date of birth disputed, other reports stating it as 25 February and 8 February) at
Ukhrul, a suburban district near
Imphal, in the North East Indian state of
Manipur in a
Tangkhul family. Khathing, on advice from the then
Maharaja of Manipur, retired from the Army after the war and joined the Government of Manipur as the Minister for Hills Administration. After the Indian independence, he was elected to the first Manipur Assembly, in 1948, representing Sadar constituency and served as the Minister for Hills Administration and Manipur Rifles till the assembly was dissolved in 1949, upon assimilation into Indian Union. The next year, he was selected as the Assistant Commandant of the 2nd Battalion of
Assam Rifles. During his tenure there, he was involved with the rescue and rehabilitation operations in the wake of the 1950 earthquake in Assam. The next assignment was as the Assistant Political Officer of
North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). Under his leadership, two platoons of Assam Rifles took possession of
Tawang in 1950, establishing Indian administrative control in the
Bum La area along
McMahon Line. In 1953, the
Government of India constituted the
Indian Frontier Administrative Service (IFAS) and Khathing was inducted as one of the two officers of the civil service. His first posting as an IFAS officer was at
Tuensang Frontier Division as the Political Officer in 1954 and his contribution is reported in the establishment of the Village Volunteer Force. After four years at the post, he was promoted as the first Deputy Commissioner of
Mokokchung district. In 1961, he became the first Indian citizen to study at the
National Defence College, New Delhi and completed the course in its second batch. The next year, he was posted as the Development Commissioner of Sikkim but the tenure was short lived as he was transferred as the Security Commissioner of NEFA when the
Sino-Indian War of 1962 broke out. He also worked as the Chief Civil Liaison Officer of
IV Corps,
Tezpur and his contributions are reported in the formation of
Sashastra Seema Bal, a paramilitary force established following the 1962 war. Khathing became the Chief Secretary of
Nagaland in 1967. It was during his tenure, the
Nagaland Armed Police and
Naga Regiment were established. Five years later, he became the first Indian tribal to become an Ambassador when he was selected as the Indian Ambassador to Burma, in 1972. He worked in Burma for three years and retired from service in 1975. Though the post of a State Governor was offered to him, he declined it but served as the Advisor to the Governor of Manipur, as the chairman, Tribal Law Commission and Administrative Reforms Commission and the Chairman of the Administrative Commission,
Nagaland. He also served as a member of the committee to finalise the 16-point agreement that led to the
Shillong Accord of 1975 and the formation of the state of
Nagaland. == Death ==