Insurgency in Meghalaya
Thus, Article 370 of the Constitution was basically a disguise of the Islamic Sharia principle that the gullible members of the Constituent Assembly could never comprehend. As a member of the Indian Police Service, the author dealt with complex legal enforcement issues as well as major internal security and terrorism challenges in all theatres. Therefore, he boldly asserts, with full responsibility and supported by indisputable empirical and textual evidence, that the Indian Constitution has, among other things, created or aggravated three persistent terrorism problems. At a meeting on August 6, the chief ministers of Meghalaya and Assam decided to set up three committees from both sides to be headed by cabinet ministers to minimise the areas of differences. He said that for the first time in many years, people celebrated Independence Day with a free mind with no organisation calling a bandh on the day.
In the case of surrendered Bru militants, they have demanded a separate autonomous economic council, a full-fledged Scheduled Tribe status and land settlement for the Bru community in Assam. The NSCN (I-M), as part of its strategy of guerrilla warfare, is believed to have been playing the key role behind the formation of several ethnic insurgent organisations among the different ethnic groups in the region. It appears from the narration of Silreng N. Sangma,17 a runaway ALMA recruit, that the sole motive behind floating this organisation was to make a quick fortune at gun point. It seems that the Garo youth having little experience of underground life joined the ALMA only in lure of easy money.
But this could be a distant dream with hyper religious polarisation over the usage of loudspeakers, reciting Hanuman Chalisa or demolishing places of worship of Hindus or Muslims that are being sadly witnessed these days blasted 24x7 on all the national TV channels. Like Southern Indian states, Northeastern states also resent Hindi imposition on the masses. To name a few, Mary Kom, Dinko Singh, Kunjarani Devi, Sarita Devi, Sanjita Chanu, Devendro Singh, Mirabai Chanu, etc brought international glory to our country. India played the first-ever Football World Cup in the under 17 World Cup with 8 players from Manipur and 1 from Mizoram. In 1999, Manipur held the National games and managed to produce many quality players. Hima Das shocked the world by winning the 400m race in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Since the dawn of Independence, parts of the North-East have been subject to various insurgency movements. The Naga insurgency dominated the 1950s decade while Meitei militancy raised its head in the 1960s in Manipur. Surges of insurgency followed in Mizoram, Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya with parts of Arunachal Pradesh being the most recently affected.
Although national health officials noted the central government did not have the authority to regulate state decisions on population issues, the central government creates guidelines and funds state level reproductive health programs. A Supreme Court decision deemed the national government responsible for providing quality care for sterilization services at the state level. Almost all states also introduced “girl child promotion” schemes, intended to counter sex selection, some of which required a certificate of sterilization for the parents to collect benefits. Rajasthan, one of 11 states to adopt a two-child limit for elected officials at the local level, was the first to adopt the law in 1992. Despite efforts at the state level to reverse or amend the law, it remained unchanged during the year.
Anti-incumbency, factionalism and an energised Opposition have been the major factors that are keeping the BJP worried. Through this Modi visit, state BJP leaders are hoping to build a momentum to counter the Opposition. Decentralization with alertness, improving administrative efficiency, pro-people governance and coping up with regional aspirations. In 2020, insurgency-related violence declined by 42 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, 12 per cent in Assam, 23 per cent in Manipur and 45 per cent in Nagaland compared to 2019, the report said. While the states of Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura remained by and large peaceful, there is a marked improvement in the security situation in other states of the region. “In 2020, insurgency-related incidents declined by 12 per cent in Assam, as compared to 2019 (2019 – 17, 2020 – 15).
At this time, there was a small movement of Jaintia nationalism as well, claiming a separate state on the basis of a historical kingdom calledJaintia Rajya. In most of the northeastern states, where indigenous groups constituted the majority of the states’ populations, the law provides for tribal rights, although some local authorities disregarded these provisions. The law prohibits any nontribal person, including citizens from other states, from crossing a government-established inner boundary without a valid permit. No one may remove rubber, wax, ivory, or other forest products from protected areas without authorization. Although the law protects Dalits, there were numerous reports of violence and significant discrimination in access to services, such as health care, education, temple attendance, and marriage.
The government has made efforts to address insurgency issues through peace talks and development initiatives. Development in the whole northeastern state needed to address the root cause of insurgency and ensure lasting peace and stability in the region. Mizoram is a landlocked northeastern region of our country that shares 722 km long international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh while in the north it is surrounded by Manipur, Assam, and Tripura. Manipur is located south of Nagaland with its eastern boundary contagious with Myanmar and prior to independence, it enjoyed higher degree of autonomy under Manipur Maharaja.
It’s the private sector that can create jobs but there are several disabling factors that prevent good companies from setting up shop here. Then there’s extortion by several actors which most branded companies would rather not tackle. Unless this mindset changes and the young themselves stand up to enable businesses to come up, unemployment will only grow and that is one factor that frustrates youth and pushes them to take extreme steps. There are the social factors such as family upbringing and social support systems that are missing. Historically, Meghalaya was excluded from the Mughal, Ahom and Burmese invasions on account of its inaccessibility. The British annexed it in 1835 and decided to set up their headquarters at Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, for control of the north-east , on account of its salubrious climate and relatively easier access.
On October 30, the Supreme Court cancelled Solanki’s bail and directed him to surrender to police. The court also ordered the trial to be held on a day-to-day basis and directed that Solanki not be in Gujarat unless required in the case. Authorities must promptly inform persons detained on criminal charges of the charges against them and of their right to legal counsel. By law a magistrate may authorize the detention of an accused person for a period of no more than 90 days prior to filing charges.
Two others – Gohanch Sangma from Songsak and Cherian Momin from Tura in Meghalaya – were also arrested in this matter. City police are investigating the matter in detail to crack the entire racket and are also investigating the Bangladesh and North-East insurgency groups' connection in the FICN network. A special squad of Assam's Bashista Police station arrested Champion Sangma, along with Gohanch Sangma and Cherian Momin, who received the FICN worth Rs 15 lakh. The accused had Rs 10,000 in original while the rest was white paper, the police source said. According to Annual reports of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in 1997 there were 14 terrorist related incidents, but the following years witnessed a vertical increase— 16 in 1998, 52 in 1999, 73 in 2000, 70 in 2001 and 84 in 2002.
Sangma also formed the Security and Law and Order subcommittee which would deliberate how to maintain peace and stability in the area. Army and central security forces remained stationed at conflict areas in the northeast. Tripura is the third-smallest state in the country, bordering states of Assam and Mizoram in the east and surrounded by Bangladesh on the other three sides adversely affecting its demography peace, progress, economy and tranquility. Over all, Tripura remained peaceful as the activities of NLFT and ATTF were contained. The demographic distortion has caused disturbance in the region which the union and state governments seem to overlook owing to the need for self-preservation due to narrow political considerations. There is a view that tribal insurgency in the northeast is the result of a feeling of increasing marginalisation of the concerned tribal groups.
Rohingyas have also suffered enforced segregation, are not allowed to leave their settlements, and are the subject of a campaign of commercial boycott led by Buddhist monks with serious threats against those who trade with Muslims. The UN has described the Rohingyas as among the ‘world’s most persecuted minorities’. The situation was further vitiated due to circulation of certain provocative SMS, MMS and internet based messages triggering exodus of North-east people from the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala under the fear of being attacked. In October 1996, the then Prime Minister announced “New Initiatives for North Eastern Region” and stipulated that at least 10% of the Budget of the Central Ministries/Department will be earmarked for the development of North Eastern States. Thus, they never experienced the feeling of being part of a free country called India.
Mounting SF pressure led to the surrender of another 41 militants (21 GNLA, nine ASAK, five NDFB-S, four HNLC, one AME, and one ULFA-I). In a significant incident of surrender, on June 22, 2017, five militants of NDFB-S and one ULFA-I militant had surrendered in West Garo Hills District. Besides, militant camps in Nagaland as well as Manipur militant groups exist in the bordering areas of Myanmar.