Beyond North-East: Insurgency, History, Development

The socio-political history of the North-East (located in the outskirt of the eastern and northern parts of India) remained under the dark shadows of mysteries, for long. Today the region is insurgency prone where numerous anti-national elements are causing serious threats to its development and national integrity. Because of a variety of tribes and subtribes and their cultural and social diversities, there is very little common among them except their wilderness and profound distrust and antipathy towards outsiders. Moreover, porous international borders have caused large-scale infiltration disturbing the regional demographic pattern and cultural mix. The need of the hour is to strive to understand the political processes, reasons for ethnic conflicts and developmental and administrative measures undertaken and required to be undertaken in order to arrive at a sustainable solution to the problems that afflict the region. These issues have important policy implications since the North-East region can serve as an important base in the national quest for improving relations under the “Look East” policy with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan – the countries in the eastern neighbourhood. Drawn on his rich service career in North-East Region (NER), the author has traced the history of discontent in Assam and the NER in its political, economic, sociological and cultural contexts providing rare glimpses into the working of the government and the reactions of civil society. Since the author was the first Chairman of the Unified Command consisting of Army, Police, Para-Military forces and civilian administration, he had an intimate knowledge about the insurgent outfits and their anti-national activities. The book is replete with exhaustive information which the political leaders, civil and defence activists will find very useful. It will help cultivate a better understanding of the issues and problems of India’s North-Eastern states.