• Insurgency is a violent insurrection against a constituted authority, often led by a non-state actor or a disenfranchised group seeking political or socio-economic change.
• In northeast India, the insurgency has been characterized by autonomy aspirations, identity-based conflicts, and territory disputes. Other causes of the insurgency include the exploitation of natural resources and perceived central government apathy. There have been various insurgency-related events, such as the Nellie Massacre in Assam in 1983, the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985, and ongoing clashes in Manipur between groups like the United National Liberation Front and the People''s Liberation Army.

Cause of Insurgency

Insurgency is essentially rebellion against the political organisation when the ethnic communities feel that they are not properly represented. There is a sense that their interests have been neglected, this gave rise to violent moments.

There are over a hundred of ethnic groups in the Northeast. It is populated with people who have very strong ethnicity. There is a strong sense of identity in each of these different communities.

There have been several groups which have distinct identity in the region emphasizing their uniqueness. They want to retain this uniqueness in their political and social and orientations as well. It is due to this there are so many divisive forces at play in this reason which gave rise to insurgency.

• Most of the states except Plains of Assam were deliberately excluded from mainstream government administration of Britishers and categorised as excluded areasin Government of India Act 1935 and the ethnic people were called backward tribes.
• British deliberately made them believe that they were a British Crown Colony and not part of any province in India.
  • For example Naga Hillswere governed by Assam province but later on they were excluded and many of the parts of the administration were directly governed by the Chief Commissioner.
• A sentiment was always propagated that more or less they are independent so after independence the groups nursed the ambition of becoming an independent state. Nagaland National Council was first to assert their Independence from India for nationhood.

Steps that were taken by the Indian government to combat insurgency:

1. Developmental Initiatives: Indian government has initiated many developmental initiatives. For instance, the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the North East (SARDP-NE) was undertaken to strengthen the region''s connectivity.
2. The Indian Army has launched a number of successful military operations against insurgent organizations in the Northeast, including 2019''s Operation All Clear, which targeted the National Democratic Front of Boroland-Saoraigwa (NDFB-S) faction in Assam.
3. Government participation in peace discussions with a number of rebel groups, and signing of a number of peace accords. The most significant of them was the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord in 2020, which stopped decades of conflict in Bodo-dominated districts of Assam.
4. Improvement in government information-collecting skills in the Northeast resulted in a number of successful operations against rebel organizations. For instance, the 2015 assassination of ULFA''s senior commander Paresh Baruah in Bhutan was the consequence of enhanced intelligence.
5. The government has also sought foreign support in order to combat insurgency in the Northeast. The 2015 extradition of ULFA leader Anup Chetia from Bangladesh, for example, was the outcome of diplomatic efforts by India.

 Despite several efforts to eliminate it, insurgency persists for the following reasons:

1.  Ethnolinguistic Diversity: The Northeast area is defined by its various people and nationalities. This has led to identity-based disputes and the formation of rebel organizations.
2. Political marginalization has led to discontent and sympathy for insurgent organizations among the people of Northeast India, who have long felt ignored and sidelined by the central government therefore resolution becomes difficult.
3. Territory Conflicts and Cross-Border Movements of Insurgent Groups: Northeast has boundaries with numerous nations, resulting in territorial disputes and cross-border insurgent activity. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has connections to Myanmar and has been active in the area.
4. Arms Smuggling: Insurgent organizations in the Northeast have access to sophisticated weaponry obtained from neighbouring countries through arms smuggling. In 2013, the arrest of weapons dealer Abdul Karim Tunda revealed the scope of gun smuggling in the area.
5. Lack of Socio-economic Development in comparison to other parts of the country in terms of socio-economic development. This has led to high rates of unemployment and poverty, which help the insurgency spread.

Suggestions

• Enhancing Connectivity:Comprehensive geographical connectivity is key to the development of NorthEast states. For this transit arrangement to connect to Indian mainland through Bangladesh and India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral highway should be completed.
  
  
  • This highway is expected to boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, as well as with the rest of Southeast Asia.
• Continuing vigilance:India should not lower its guard thinking insurgency has ended it should continue to be vigilant. There have been instances where violent acts have been committed after a very long gap by new formed groups.
  
  
  • The centre and the state government should identify all the groups small and big and deal with them so that the insurgency doesn''t sprung up again.
• Addressing people''s aspirations:The conflict in NorthEast is the physical manifestation of the aspiration of people. Thus there is a need to address the aspirations of the people by establishing continuous dialogues with them.
  
  
  • The success of peace agreements should be evaluated more on socio-economic outcomes than in terms of military outcome.
• Ending corrupt nexus:Identifying stakeholders and addressing their issues is needed to permanently resolve the issues. Election results in NorthEast have often been determined by which groups the political parties pay their allegiance to.
  
  
  • Thus the vicious cycle of corruption involving the state legislature and these underground groups should be ended.
• Forward looking policy:A structured counterinsurgency policy is needed in which all the factors should be considered by the government by consulting all the stakeholders to comprehensively deal with such insurgency in future.
• Greater integration:A sense of belongingness should be encouraged among the local population and a sense of pride should be inculcated in them for their contributions made to India such as the Kohima war during Indian freedom struggle.

Thus, there is a need for various solutions to address insurgency in northeast India, including addressing the root causes of the conflict, engaging in dialogue, providing economic and educational opportunities, ensuring effective governance, and addressing ethnic and cultural differences. Ensuring peace in this manner would further lead to an inclusive and strengthened India.