Insurgency in North East India

North East India is the region situated in the eastern-most part of India comprising the eight states of India namely,
Sikkim and the “seven sister states” of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Tripura.
It is linked with Indian heartland through 22 km wide Siliguri Corridor, which is commonly known as the
“chicken neck”, created by the Radcliffe line. North East India (NEI) is bounded by Tibet Autonomous Region
(TAR), Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
North-East India covers about 8 percent of the country’s total area and has around 4 percent of the national
population.
About 99 percent of the border of this region is international border. It has 475 ethnic groups and 400
languages/ dialects are spoken here.

Historical Background of the North-East

During the British era, North East India became a part of Bengal Province and Tribal groups constituted an
overwhelming majority of the population in most of the areas they inhabited.
The colonial rulers (British) took nearly a century to annex the entire region and administered the hills as a loose
‘frontier area’.
Britishers isolated the North East from their traditional trading partners Bhutan and Myanmar.
The British also made some of the communities of present-day Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya convert to
Christianity with the help of Christian missionaries.
Post-independence, the North-eastern region consists of only Assam and the princely states of Manipur and
Tripura. Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal, Mizoram were part of the larger territory of Assam.
The states of Tripura and Manipur were Union Territories till 1972 till they attained statehood.
The integration of these distinct cultures of the North-East into the “mainstream” was generally met with
resentment.
The tribals were afraid of losing their identity and being assimilated by the policy of Assimilation in government
jobs and other professions.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR INSURGENCY IN NORTH-EAST

1. Colonial legacy: Prior to British rule, many of the northeastern states had independent political structures
and identities. Colonial integration often involved marginalization and disregard for these unique
cultures, sowing seeds of discontent.
2. Forced integration: After independence, the Indian government's approach to integrating the region
sometimes involved forceful measures, further fueling feelings of alienation among certain groups.

3. Complex Topography: The topography of the north east is predominantly mountainous along with a
humid climate and longest mountain ranges.

4. Ethnic clashes among Tribals: Northeast India is home to diverse ethnicities with distinct
languages, customs, and traditions. Some groups felt their identity and autonomy were threatened by
dominant Indian culture and sought more self-determination.

5. Lack of representation: Many ethnic groups felt underrepresented in political and economic
spheres, leading to frustration and a sense of exclusion.
6. Conflicts in the region range from insurgency for secession to insurgency for autonomy; from ‘sponsored
terrorism’ to ethnic clashes, to conflicts generated as a result of continuous inflow of migrants from across
the borders as well as from other States.
7. Developmental issue: There is a lack of infrastructure like roads, railways, energy and absence of
industrialization because of which educated youth are not getting adequate job opportunities. The region
has historically struggled with poverty, unemployment, and inadequate infrastructure. This lack of
development fuels feelings of neglect and marginalization.
 8. Exploitation: Some groups perceive exploitation of their resources and land by outsiders, leading to
resentment and conflict.
9. Porous borders: The region shares borders with several countries, making it susceptible to cross-border
support for insurgent groups.
10. Geographical isolation: The physical distance from mainland India can sometimes contribute to a sense
of isolation and neglect.

11. Ideological impact: Moreover, because of infrastructural bottlenecks further development is inhibited.

12. Regional aspirations: of the different groups pose a great challenge in the development of this region
which is the major cause of insurgency in the region.

13. Factional in-Fighting: Another factor behind the growth and development of the North Eastern
insurgency problem is identified to be the in-fighting among the insurgent groups.

14. Lack of Governance: The politico-administrative arrangements made by the Centre have also been
lacking.

15. Dissent against AFSPA: The application of AFSPA in the region shows the inability and reluctance of the
government to solve the conflict with adequate political measures.

16. The Media Support: The blind support of the so-called media for the cause and ideology of any insurgent
group has turned out to be another powerful ground for flourishing insurgent activities in NE India.

17. Self-determination: Another group of intellectuals share the principle of national self-determination and
they are always prompt to explain an insurgent activity to be the natural rights of the son of the soil.

18. Large scale migration has created a fear in the minds of people that they will be reduced to minority in
their own states or regions. Migrants threaten their culture and traditions and also occupy already limited
employment opportunities. Migration of Muslims has also imparted it a communal color.
19. Lack of economic opportunities and governance deficit making it easier for people to feel alienated and
left out and thus providing support for insurgency
20. Deep sense of alienation due to human right violation and excesses by security forces.

Conflicts in the region can be broadly grouped under the following categories:
 National conflicts: Involving concept of a distinct ‘homeland’ as a separate nation and pursuit of the realization
of that goal by use of various methods both violent as well as non violent. Ex: ULFA demand for sovereign Asom,
NSCN for Greater Nagaland.
 Ethnic conflicts: Involving assertion of numerically smaller and less dominant tribal groups against the political
and cultural hold of the dominant tribal group. In Assam this also takes the form of tension between local and
migrant communities.
 Sub-regional conflicts: Involving movements which ask for recognition of sub-regional aspirations and often
come in direct conflict with the State Governments or even the autonomous Councils. Ex: UPDS in Assam

NAGALAND
The Nagas were the inhabitants of the Naga hills along the Northeast frontier on the Assam-Burma border. The
Nagas is not a single tribe, but an ethnic community that comprises several tribes who live in the state of Nagaland
and its neighbourhood.
In 1946, the Naga National Council (NNC), which, under the leadership of Angami Zapu Phizo declared Nagaland
an independent state on August 14, 1947. The NNC resolved to establish a “sovereign Naga state” and conducted a
“referendum” in 1951, in which “99 percent” supported an “independent” Nagaland.
On June 29, 1947, Assam Governor Sir Akbar Hyderi signed a 9-point agreement with moderates T Sakhrie and
Aliba Imti, which was almost immediately rejected by Phizo. The Nagaland Assembly has endorsed the ‘Greater
Nagalim’ demand - “Integration of all Naga Inhabited contiguous areas under one administrative umbrella” - as
many as five times: in December 1964, August 1970, September 1994, December 2003 and as recently as on July
27, 2015. After Indian Independence from British Rule in 1947, the first state of north-east was Assam. Radical
turn in Assamese nationalism can be traced back to the influx of illegal migrants from East Pakistan after Partition
in 1947 and later since 1971 onwards after the formation of Bangladesh.
In 1975, when the government signed the Shillong Accord, under which this section of NNC and NFG agreed to
give up arms. A group of about 140 members led by Thuingaleng Muivah, who was at that time in China, refused
to accept the Shillong Accord and formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1980. Muivah
also had Isak Chisi Swu and S S Khaplang with him. In 1988, the NSCN split into NSCN (IM) and NSCN (K)
after a violent clash. While the NNC began to fade away, and Phizo died in London in 1991, the NSCN (IM) came
to be seen as the “mother of all insurgencies” in the region.
The Hurdle
Recognition of Naga sovereignty, integration of all Naga-speaking areas into a Greater Nagaland, Separate
Constitution and Separate Flag are the demands that the union government may find difficult to fulfil. The current
demands of the NSCN (IM) have toned down from complete sovereignty to greater autonomous region within the
Indian constitutional framework with due regard to the uniqueness of Naga history and traditions. However,
negotiations with the NSCN-IM have remained complicated, as Nagas are demanding the integration of their
ancestral homelands, which include territories in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. All three states have
refused to cede territory to the Nagas. Manipur has protested in a petition that any compromise with Manipur’s
territorial integrity would not be tolerated. The other two States have made it clear that they won’t compromise
with their territorial integrity.
Another significant issue is how the weapons in the NSCN-IM camps are going to be managed. As a ‘ceasefire’
group, its cadres are supposed to retain their weapons inside the designated camps for self-defence only, but more
often than not, many influential cadres are seen moving with weapons in civilian localities, leading to many
problems. It would be an uphill task for the Centre to ensure that all weapons are surrendered at the time of the
final accord. In the early phase, the Naga insurgents were provided with what has come to be known as ‘safe
haven’ in Myanmar. India’s adversaries (China and Pakistan) also provided them with vital external support at one
point in time. The porous border and rugged terrain make it different for the Security Forces as they cross borders
where they are sheltered and fed.

EMERGENCE OF INSURGENCY IN ASSAM

ULFA is the oldest outfit of Assam, founded by Paresh Baruah in April 1979, with the aim of liberating Assam
“from the Indian colonial regime” through armed struggle” and to bring about a “radical transformation of the
Assamese society through scientific socialism”. This outfit had its support base in Brahmaputra Valley, with
training camps and sanctuaries in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh as well as in Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
ULFA’s stated objective is the attainment of Swadhin Asom. It has declared its readiness to talk with the
government on the condition that Swadhin Asom is on the agenda. The outfit suffered a major setback in 2003
when Bhutan flushed them out of its territory via its “Operation All Clear.”
1. BODOLAND:
Bodos are the single largest tribal community in Assam, making up over 5-6 per cent of the state’s population.
The four districts in Assam — Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang — that constitute the Bodo Territorial
Area District (BTAD), are home to several ethnic groups.
Their armed struggle started for a separate state in the mid-1980s.This armed struggle led to ethnic cleansing of
the non-bodos along the north bank of Brahmaputra.
National Democratic Front Of Bodoland (NDFB): The NDFB is an armed separatist that seeks to obtain sovereign
Bodoland for the Bodo people.
THE BODOLAND TERRITORIAL COUNCIL (BTC):
BTC has legislative, administrative, executive and financial powers over 40 policy areas in the Bodoland
Territorial Areas Districts comprising four districts (Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri) of Assam.
The BTC was constituted under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India in 2003 after the signing of
Memorandum of Settlement on 10th February 2003 between the GOI, the Government of Assam and Bodo
Liberation Tigers,
2. KARBI ANGLONG:
Government has created Autonomous hill districts of Assam in the Mikir hills region of Assam.
A separate state of Karbi Anglong (Homeland) is being made by people of Karbi tribe.
Karbi Anglong district is the largest amongst the 27 administrative districts of Assam
In 2006, Indian government named Karbi Anglong one of the country's 250 most backward districts
3. DIMARAJI
Dimsa people demanding a separate state called Dimaraji or "Dimaland" comprise the Dimasa inhabited Areas
which spreads in part of Assam and Nagaland.
Government had given autonomy by forming the “The Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DHAC)” in response to
the demands.
4. KAMTAPUR:
They do not have an autonomous council like bodos.
Kamtapur = some districts of West Bengal + districts of Assam.
Areas demanded under Kamatapur also overlap the areas which were demanded under the statehood of
Gorkhaland in West Bengal.
ISSUE OF NRC IN ASSAM:
Bangladeshi immigrants had affected the demographic composition of Assam. National Register of Citizens, 1951
is a register prepared after the conduct of the Census of 1951 in respect of each village, showing the houses or
holdings in a serial order and indicating against each house or holding the number and names of persons staying
therein. Over the years there has been a demand from the indigenous Assamese groups to update the NRC.

Way Forward
Although varying in their demands and methods, there is a common thread running through the insurgency
infested north-east, that is of identity and development. Hence, some solutions that are common need to be
explored with specifics derived from them for specific regions and groups.
 Meeting the political aspirations of groups by giving them autonomy. Implementing sixth schedule provisions in
these areas will help them to preserve their identity and culture while giving them greater autonomy.
 Economic development of the area in a calibrated manner. Any development should be sustainable and should
have the participation and acceptance by the locals.
 Improving Governance and delivery mechanisms of the government and administration.
 The pre-condition of complete abjuring of violence for holding peace talks is a flawed notion. If violence is
discarded and peace is established then the need of peace talks become futile. Dialogue should be ongoing process
to reach concrete solutions by involving all the stakeholders and not a single group.
 Coordinating operations with the neighboring countries and use of force only when needed. Draconian laws like
AFSPA should be repealed as it is one of the causes for inflating insurgency in north east.
 Rebel groups must also be more pragmatic by seeking greater autonomy within the constitutional mandate rather
than demanding newer states and regions based on ever narrowing ethnic and linguistic identities, which are
beyond acceptance.
 Centre and states should coordinate in decision making. In the recent agreement of the Centre with NSCN (IM),
it did not take concerned state governments and other groups on board. It should be avoided.
 State police and central forces should cooperate on intelligence sharing, investigation and operations against
militants. It has been alleged by the army that the June ambush of the army became possible because state police
did not share the intelligence about the attack with it. It is unfortunate and counter-productive.