Insurgency in Meghalaya

ULFA takes advantage of less connectivity of districts and thickly forested areas in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh-Bhutan border. One of the major reasons cited for the opposition is the dominance of the Meiteis, both in population and in political representation, since 40 out of 60 Assembly constituencies of the state are in the valley. The remaining 90% of the state’s geographical area comprises hills surrounding the valley, which are home to the recognized tribes, making up about 35.4% of the state’s population. The central valley in the state accounts for about 10% of the landmass of Manipur, and is home primarily to the Meitei and Meitei Pangals who constitute roughly 64.6% of the state’s population. 14 villagers and a soldier died in Nagaland's Mon district over the weekend after an Army op went horribly wrong.

In the process, some innocent people may have suffered but the Army has also paid a heavy price through the loss of its soldiers and officers in guerrilla attacks. The Department of Development of North Eastern Region was created in 2001 and was accorded the status of a full-fledged ministry on May 2004. The ministry is mainly concerned with the creation of infrastructure for economic development of India’s North-Eastern region. It includes holding peace talks with those who abjure violence and dealing strictly with violent activities.
Arrested Sangma was a DSP in Meghalaya police and created the insurgency group GNLA in 2009. Meghalaya police arrested Changma in 2011 when he was pushed back to Indian territory by the Bangladesh security forces. Out on bail after a brief stint in jail, the insurgency leader Changma is involved in the FICN racket. Major militant outfits, namely, Garo National Liberation Army and Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council , a Khasi Militant group are active in the State of Meghalaya.

Apart from Myanmar, Bangladesh has been used by north-east insurgent groups as a hide-out, especially in Chittagong hills. However, after the takeover of the Sheikh Hasina Government, it is on the decline and many members of such groups have been arrested and handed over to India. Mizoram and Tripura have shown remarkable success in controlling insurgency and now they are largely peaceful for quite a long time. Government has signed ceasefire and Suspension of Operations with most of the insurgent groups in the region. The British government did not disturb their socio-political structure and followed a deliberate policy of excluding the outsiders. During the British era, they constituted an overwhelming majority of the population in most of the areas they inhabited.
Although the law imposes a limit of 90 days for application processing, FCRA applications were sometimes pending months longer. From January 17-23, thousands of protesters assembled in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu demanding legalization of the traditional Tamil sport Jallikattu, a form of bullfighting, which was banned in 2014. Some protesters alleged police used disproportionate force to disband peaceful gatherings on January 23, leading to widespread unrest with pockets of violence across the state.

Saleng Sangma had long assumed there were politicians who forged relationships with the militants. Still, he was shocked to see the text message from rebels demanding he support the chief minister, he said. Until 2010, Meghalaya was a relatively peaceful corner of India’s restive Northeast.
Accused individuals have a right to free legal assistance, including for their first hearing after arrest. The constitution specifies that the state should furnish legal aid to provide that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, but authorities did not assess this need systematically. After independence, the Muslims of Kashmir led by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah demanded the continuation of those restrictions. Through the time-tested tactics of gangsterism and with the encouragement of the Nehruvian clique, they bullied the Constituent Assembly and Indian State to incorporate those restrictions into the Constitution as Article 370.
Estimates of the number of bonded laborers varied widely, although some NGOs placed the number in the tens of millions. Nonagricultural sectors with a high incidence of bonded labor were stone quarries, brick kilns, rice mills, construction, embroidery factories, and beedi (hand-rolled cigarettes) production. The National AIDS Control Program prioritized HIV prevention, care, and treatment interventions for high-risk groups and rights of persons living with HIV. In February the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled the2017 Saathiya Education Plan, resource material related to sex education, which recognized that persons can feel attraction for any individual of the same or opposite sex.

The human rights NGO The Lawyer’s Collective was unable to reregister after its FCRA registration was cancelled in 2016. According to media reports, on April 10, the Ministry of Home Affairs also cancelled the license of the Public Health Foundation of India , a public health advocacy group. The PHFI filed a request with the government for reinstatement of its license, which continued under government review at year’s end.
But they clearly have done nothing to improve the well-being of ordinary citizens or advanced public goals, like pollution prevention. Most people I met here describe the whole insurgency charade as a nuisance that at times can be dangerous. India increasingly cracks down on a free press via a variety of methods, including tax raids and the withdrawing of broadcast licenses.

However, many GNLA insurgents have laid down arms following the deployment of SF-10 commandos in the region. “It is then that Rajkhowa reportedly told a senior police officer that he had earlier thought of surrendering but decided against it because every time he came across the police in Garo Hills, an exchange of fire would ensue,” the source said. We did long range patrolling columns in the wilderness of Mizoram against cold, heavy rains traversing remote jungles and hills and dominating the rebels by pro-active operations. One never knew when sub-units would be launched for counter insurgency operations and when would we get back for much needed rest.
Also, the perceived lack of forward Indian intelligence capability in new areas of concern (for instance, in China-influenced Kachin dominated areas) is worrisome. Aspects that seem dormant at present, but are on their way to constructing themselves as new launching detachments for an even more vigorous insurgency movement in the North East, is a distinct possibility, especially in light of the realignments that are taking place all over the region. D) The twin districts of Tirap and Changlang of Arunachal Pradesh not only continue to be the hunting-grounds of NSCN , NSCN , ULFA (anti-talk) and NDFB (anti-talk), but also the favoured insurgent route to Myanmar, which continues to house important insurgent camps. Reports have opined that insurgent groups billeted in Myanmar have also decided to carry out joint offensives against Indian interest.

Since a large percentage of the educated are jobless, militancy becomes an attractive career option. According to the Police, "The insurgents appear to be anti-socials out to make fast money. If they had a committed agenda, they would have at least had a course of action. They operate and strike on the order of other northeastern militant groups." The purpose of this article is to understand the crisis in Meghalaya through a historical overview. In aid of this, it will first understand who the “Hynniewtrep” are – a word which has mobilized Khasi-Jaintia insurgents over the years. Alongside this, it will study the history of insurgency in Meghalaya to understand how matters came to a head on 15th August 2021. Second, it will analyze the main factors that have led to the instability in the state to comprehend how it fits into the larger instabilities in the Northeast.
In the four day long meet in which members of Assembly Committees of north Eastern state are to participate, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar and general secretary PDT Acharya will take part as observers, opposition leader Radhabinod Koijam informed  today. “It will be expected from the authorities concerned under the government of India and the state government concerned that all the measures needed to be taken to ensure that justice is done in the right perspective,” he said. Meanwhile, the AITC leader also urged all the authorities concerned that include the state government of Nagaland and government of India to ensure justice to the victims. “I think this is something which must be taken cognizance of by Government of India and look at all the possibilities of dealing with insurgency and other problems related to terrorism in the right perspective without having to resort to this draconian law,” he further asserted.