INTERNAL SECURITY

Insurgency in North East India

North Eastern states are witnessing insurgency by multiple groups since the 1950’s . These states are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as 14.29 miles (23.00 km) wide. Now the only state where a prominent insurgency exist is Manipur.

Demands-

Some groups call for a

-Separate state, others for

-Regional autonomy while some extreme groups demand

-Complete independence.

Decline in Insurgency-

In recent years, insurgency in the region has seen a rapid decline, with a 70% reduction in insurgency incidents and an 80% drop in civilian deaths in 2019 compared to 2013.

Reasons for conflict in North East India:

1-Historical reasons – N-E was loosely administered under British India.

2-Ethnic Diversity-

North-East India is India’s most ethnically diversified area including 213 of India’s 635 tribal groups.

These tribes each have their own distinct culture, each tribal group disagrees with being combined into mainstream India because it means losing their unique identity, giving rise to insurgency.

3-Lack of Representation-

The long distance between mainland India and the northeast, as well as a lack of representation for the region in the Indian Parliament, has contributed to the northeast being more neglected in the political framework of the country, which has served as a major reason behind the insurgencies occurring in the region.

4-East Bengali refugees-

During the Bangladesh Liberation War, an estimated 10 million people from East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) fled the country and took refuge in India, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal and the Indian northeast, especially Tripura and Assam.

This changed the demography of the area, resulting in greater competition between locals and refugees, which further contributed to the insurgency in the area.

5- Poor Connectivity with NE India –

 N-E is not  well connected with present Indian mainland.

6- Developmental reasons –

 NE is Poorly developed due to lack of fund from Center/States.

7- External support –

China and Myanmar want Insurgency in these areas.

Recent Observations about North East India

Insurgency & Ceasefire

Important Insurgent Groups in North East India

The following are the insurgent groups operating in Northeast India:

1-Nagaland

2-Manipur

3-Mizoram

4-Tripura

5-Assam

6-Meghalaya

7-Arunachal Pradesh

-Military Operations –\

In Assam, at the beginning of the 1990s, two military operations, Operation Rhino and Bajrang, were launched against U.L.F.A. militants.

-Formation of Special Paramilitary forces

Like Assam rifle has been given the task to deal with insurgents in Assam.

-The Ministry for the Development of the North East Region (DoNER) –

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region established in  2001, functions as the nodal Department of the Central Government to deal with matters related to the socio-economic development of the North East states.

-Act East Policy- The Act East Policy, a proactive turn to Look East Policy was initiated by the Indian government in November 2014. It seeks to strengthen economic, political, security and cultural ties with Southeast and East Asia, with the NER serving as a crucial gateway.

-Proper implementation of 5^th &  6 th Schedule in NE states-

The Fifth Schedule- of the Constitution deals with the management and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes in any state, with the exception of the four states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.\

The 6^th Schedule – Deals with the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram that have been designated as “tribal areas” are covered by the Sixth Schedule under Article 244(2) of the Constitution, which calls for District or Regional Autonomous Councils in these regions.

-Development-

The North east should become a single economic unit without disturbing the political boundaries of the states. No internal traffic barriers in the region.