Ethnicity and Security of India: A Case Study of North-East

A study on ethnic conflicts in India would necessitate clarification of certain basic concepts like ethnicity, ethnic conflicts and race. Ethnicity is an intrinsic component of the socio-political realities of multi-ethnic states in north-east, as well as in other parts of the country. The process of socioeconomic change, the ethnic dimensions of the power structure and the policies adopted by the various governments in response to the urges and aspirations of different ethnic groups, provide a ground for a clear understanding of ethnicity and their dimensions. The concept of ethnicity has also become a critical variable in the formation and reformation of states.  The aim of this work is to look at problems, threat to security due to ethnicity in India in general and of north-east in particular. Much has been written about the north-east and there are number of scholarly works dealing with its history and contemporary issues. This work is not intended to duplicate these writings. It is not a history, nor a treatise on economic development, nor yet an account of the many ethnic and separatist movements that have punctuated the life of region. It is not an ethnographic or cultural survey. It will touch on all of these as there can be no understanding of the north-east without some essential backgrounding of these closely interrelated factors.