India’s North East comprises eight states after the inclusion of Sikkim in the region. The population of the region is over 45 million and the region covers an area of 262179 square kilometres. The region is connected with the rest of India through a 17 kilometre-wide (at its narrowest) Siliguri Corridor. Christians are the majority in the states of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland and there are even sizable Christian minorities in the rest of states of the region. Assam, Tripura and Manipur have a majority population following the Hindu religion, followed by a sizeable Muslim population in the region.
The people of North East India have been branded “outcastes” in the Hindu caste system. The region is considered the most volatile and insurgency affected region after IIOJK. Over 200 languages and different dialects are spoken in the region and there are more than 200 ethnic tribes with distinct cultures, languages and traditions. I have written a number of articles on insurgencies in almost all states in North East India struggling for independence from India. Recently, the state of Meghalaya was in the news as a result of violence, arson and attacks. Meghalaya was carved out of the state of Assam in 1972. It is surrounded by the states of Assam in the North and Bangladesh in the South. Meghalaya has a population of over 4 million with 75 percent following Christianity, 12 percent Hinduism and 5 percent Islam. Christians make up 2.5 percent of India’s population; the majority are in South India followed by North East India.
Meghalaya is home to three major tribes. The Garo—30.5 percent—who reside in Garo hills, the Khasi—34 percent—the largest ethnic group lives in the East and West of Khasi hills and Jaintia—18.5 percent—who live in Jaintia hills. The Khasis and the Jaintia constitute 53 percent and are in one party. Bengalis, both Hindus and Muslims are also in sizable strength, who migrated to Meghalaya from former East Pakistan (Bangladesh). There are also other Indians who have migrated to the state from North India. The continued influx from outside has made the indigenous population fearful of becoming a minority in their own state. Because of continued outside influx, all the states in the North East are demanding the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP). ILP is an official travel document issued by the government of India to allow an Indian citizen to visit the North East region for a limited period. It was these migrations which led to the formation of Meghalaya’s first militant group in the mid-80’s, the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council (HALC). The HALC refers to the Khasi and Jaintia tribes and Achik to the Garo tribe.
Later, the HALC split into the Achik Matgrik Liberation Army which represented the Garo tribe only and later renamed Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC). The HNLC, under Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, was struggling for independence from India and they claim the Khasi territory was never part of India. The history of communal riots started in 1972 between local tribes and migrants and insurgency for independence started in the early 80’s . In February, 2020 the Indian flag was burnt by Hynniewtrep Army who uploaded a video on Facebook. They demanded the immediate implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP). According to them, foreigners (Indians) will not be allowed to rule them. ‘We are masters of our own land and we will govern our land.’ The ANVC demands a separate state for the Garo but within the Indian constitution. The HNLC was accused of using Bangladesh territory as safe havens for operations inside Meghalaya. The HNLC was declared unlawful and banned in India and today Meghalaya has 21 militant groups fighting against Indian security forces. Frequent violence, killings, blasts, agitation and extortion are routine in the state.
The violence erupted recently on August 13 when the leader of the HNLC Cheristerfield Thangkhiew was killed by Indian security forces in a fake encounter at his residence at dawn in the city of Mawlai. He was accused of a couple of IED blasts in the state by security forces. According to family members of Thangkhiew, it was a cold-blooded murder in a fake encounter which was pre-planned. Violence erupted during the funeral ceremony of Cheristerfield Thangkhiew across the state. People came out on the streets masked, brandishing weapons and attacked police posts and snatched weapons from police officials. A curfew was imposed in a number of cities including the capital Shillong, where mobile internet services were suspended. CRPF vehicles were attacked and a dozen other vehicles were set on fire.
Petrol bombs were hurled at the residence of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. The cavalcade of Governor Satyapal Malik was also attacked and protesters pelted stones. Additional battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in the state to maintain the worsening law and order situation. Widespread violence and chaos forced the state home minister to resign. The Indian independence day was celebrated as a black day as it coincided with the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. They are also opposing the Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB), according to which Hindus, Sikhs and Christians who have entered India illegally can now apply for citizenship if they prove they came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The fear is that the new influx will change the demography and it is a threat to their culture and language.
Moreover it will legitimise the Bengali speaking Hindus of Bangladesh. The present Chief Minister Sangma belongs to the National People’s Party and has an alliance with the BJP. RSS/BJP all set to control Christian-dominated states such as Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. The RSS is trying to make inroads into these Christian dominated states. According to media reports there are 6000 BJP/RSS volunteers across the state to influence non-Hindu religions. All the people in the North East have lost trust in the Delhi-based government and feel alienated. They consider themselves ethnically, culturally, religiously and linguistically different from the mainland. They speak the Sino-Tibetan language instead of the Indo-Aryan language. The racial division of the country, Dravidians in the South, Mongoloids in the North East and Aryans in the Centre and North is also one of the causes of insurgencies in India.
