Publication

This working group report traces the history of insurgencies in the northeast of India since the British withdrawal in 1947. It states that the number of active insurgent groups has multiplied over the years, posing a continuous challenge to federal control. The author describes the post-colonial Indian strategy in fighting asymetric conflicts, involving insurgency and separatist groups, as one relying as much on co-option as on military operations. He argues that federal intelligence agencies have often used these movements for fulfilling the vested interests of those controlling the power structure in Delhi. Finally, the author outlines lessons for the Indian nation-state to absorb from its more than five decades of counterinsurgency experience in the northeast.