Insurgent Frontiers

8/8/2019 Insurgent Frontiers

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By E. N. Rammohan

Reviewed by Prabhat Kumar


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IntroductionAbout the book

y Welcome addition to the scant literature on insurgencies in

North East.y Narration of causes ,consequences and remedies of

insurgencies in North East.

y Chapters on insurgencies in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur,the plight of Chakmas, security threat from Bangladesh.

y Author- IPS officer of Assam cadre, joined in 1966.

y Highly experienced in counter insurgency operations inKashmir and North East.


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Assam, the Foreigners Agitation

andthe ULFAHistorical Background

y First settlers- Tibeto- Burman tribes.

y Later, followed by Aryans and Dravidians.y Region was not a part of any sub continental

kingdom since historical times.

y Islam introduced during the Sultanate period.

y British entered in 1739 as visitors.

y First tea garden established in 1836 after Britishconquest.


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Migrations facilitated by BritishyAdivasi tribes from central and southern India as

cheap labor for tea gardens

y East Bengali Muslim peasants to grow paddy, jute andvegetables for consumption by the laborers.

y Marwari traders to open shops for groceries catering toAdivasi labor.

y Technical personnel and labor also attracted fromoutside the state after discovery of oil.

y Bengali Babus to take over clerical work in tea gardensand oil industry.


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Alienationoflocal populacey Local Assamese isolated from their resources and the

resulting economy.

y

Drastic change in demographics of the region.y Feeling of betrayal gained ground after Congress

changed position on Cabinet Mission prior toindependence.

y Continuous migration of refugees from East Pakistancompounded the situation after partition.

y Central government threatened to reduce financial aidwhen refugee problem was protested by stategovernment.


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y Oil extracted from Assam used to source refineries inother states.

y Desertion by the Indian leadership during the debacleof the Chinese war, deeply hurting the Assamesesentiments.

yArtificial shortage of essential commodities due to

hoarding by Marwari businessmen.yViolent agitation at Guwahati against Marwari

community in 1968.


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Alienation Continuedy Rumors of another refinery outside the state led to

massive protests by students.

y Centre compelled to set up a refinery at Bongaigaon.y Widespread unemployment and illiteracy due to poor

economic condition of state and illegal immigration.

y Perception that the states resources were exploited for

the benefit of outsiders.y Formation of settlements on fertile agricultural and

tribal land by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.


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y Illegal immigration patronized by corrupt localofficials and politicians right up to central government

level.y Widespread clashes between immigrants and locals.

y Immigrants favored due to political patronage.

y Main issue was land, not religion, unlike that projected

by central government.


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The Foreigners Agitationy Emergence of Bengali Muslims as the largest vote

bank.

y

Local electorate full of foreigners.yAll Assam Students Union spearheaded statewide

protests on this issue, leading to shutdown of schoolsand colleges.

y Demand for detection and disenfranchisement offoreigners in accordance with the National Register ofCitizens, 1951.

y Main issue- Protection of Assamese identity andculture, huge participation by locals.


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1983- Riggedelectionsy Rigged Elections in 1983 held on basis of unrevised

electoral rolls of 1977.

yDrying up of intelligence on the newly formed AssamMovement demonstrated peoples support for it.

y Early signs of insurgency-widespread protests; burningof bridges to disrupt communication lines.

y Government buildings marked as polling stations wereburnt.

y Outbreak of ethnic clashes. More than 6000 peoplekilled. Most infamous massacre at Nellie.


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TheInsurgencyy Formation of United Liberation Front of Assam

(ULFA), in the aftermath of rigged elections.

y

1985- Assam Accord, formation of AGP governmentafter fresh elections.

yAASU-AGP-ULFA nexus at the helm from 1985-90.

y Extortion network of ULFA, with Guwahati Universityas the base.

y Political killings and government backed kidnappingsto intimidate outsiders and raise funds.

y Full support of local people to ULFA.


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y Training of ULFA cadre at NSCN camps in Myanmar.

y Dropouts and unemployed youth main source of cadre.

y Rapid degeneration of cadre from urban background intopetty criminals. Villagers remained ideologicallymotivated.

y 1990- Operation Bajrang by Indian Army. Fresh electionsheld. Congress victory. ULFA strikes.

y1993- Operation Rhino. ULFA leadership flees toBangladesh for sanctuary.

y Linkages formed with ISI. Ideology kept aside.

y SULFA formed. Loss of goodwill for ULFA.


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Remedies- Political and

Developmentaly Infrastructural development for irrigation and

agriculture.

yReforming of education system, generation ofemployment opportunities.

y Focus on rural development and revamp of PDS.

y Check on corruption. North-East Council to be made

more effective.y No talks with ULFA. Check on SULFA.


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The Damnedofthe Earthy Chakmas- living in Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal

Pradesh; suffer from worst living conditions. SecondClass citizens.

y Originally belonging to Chittagong Hill Tracts, givento Pakistan during Partition. Majority Buddhists andHindus.

y Treated shabbily by Pakistan and Bangladesh; reduced

to minority in their own areas. Hence, migrated toIndia.

y Denied Indian citizenship, although they had thestatus of legal migrants as per Indira-Mujib Pact.


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Security threat from Bangladeshy Three pronged security threat.

y Demographic- encourages and abets illegal migrationinto India.

y Safe haven for all North Eastern insurgent groups.

y Support to Islamic fundamentalists. Base for Al- Qaeda,Jamaat-e-Ulema-e- Islam, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen andHUJI.

y

Preference given to Indias western border by GoI. Easternborder neglected due to non-cooperative attitude of stategovernments.

y Problem of riverine border.


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The Naga InsurgencyHistorical background

y Nagas- 30 odd tribes with more than 30 dialects

inhabiting Nagaland state, parts of Manipur, Assamand Arunachal Pradesh.

y Never a composite group. Each tribe stayed insovereign villages. Together named Naga by outsiders.

y Came under direct British rule in 1878.

y Exposed to outside world during WWI. Generation ofthe idea of Nagas as a complete group.

y Preference to British rule.


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y Naga National Council formed in 1946. Focus on Nagaautonomy.

y

Nehru rejected Naga demand for independence.y Nagas under A.Z.Phizo declared independence.

Parallel body of civil and military administration inplace by 1955.

y Indian Army deployed and Assam Disturbed Areas Act

promulgated in Naga Hills Distt.y 1963- Indian state of Nagaland inaugurated.Welcomed by moderates of NNC. Rejected byunderground faction. Beginning of insurgency.


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StrengtheningofInsurgency and

Peacetalksy Basis of insurgency different from that of Assam.

y Army excesses and Delhi Durbar led to further alienationof local people.

y Nagas perceived a threat to their culture, tradition and wayof life.

y Underground faction of NNC established links with ISIfrom their base in Dhaka. Training and equipments

received from Chinese Army as well.y Ambushes, blasts common after increase in hostilities.

y Peace talks initiated by Nagaland Peace Council, consistingof Church leaders among others.


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y Shillong Peace Accord signed in 1975 between a factionof NNC and Government of India.

y

Split in NNC, formation of NSCN.y NSCN linked with PLA of Manipur and ULFA of

Assam, spread extortion network on large scale.

y NSCN- IM and NSCN-K formed after split in NSCN.

y NSCN- IM turned insurgency into industry by trainingand arming all groups of NE and claiming an 80%share from their extorted money.


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y NSCN-IM is now a fabulously rich organization,maintaining offices in Manila, Bangkok and theNetherlands.

y NSCN-IM shifted base from Myanmar to Bangladeshafter Kachin Independent Army refused help.

y ISI provides logistical support. Arms procured fromThailand. Chinese support insubstantial now.

y Ceasefire between GoI and NSCN-IM in 1997. No armyoperations since then till now.

y NSCN-IM violated ceasefire , procured arms, extortedthrough its allies.


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Remediesy Construction of all weather roads to deny the

insurgents a safe hinterland.

y

Good governance.


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BluePrint for CounterInsurgency

inManipury Insurgency introduced in Manipur by Nagas in Naga inhabited

areas in 1956.y Native insurgencies started around 1960s. Formation of UNLF in

1964, PREPAK in 1977, PLA in 1978.

Causes of Insurgency

y Denial of statehood to Manipur after its accession to India in1949.

y The ancient Manipuri language not included in eighth scheduleof Indian constitution.

y Corruption in administration ,particularly PDS andinfrastructure leading to black marketing.

y Dominance of outsiders in economic activities of state.


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Stateof affairs inManipury Government policy of pitting one tribe against another

to quell insurgency backfired. Creation of professional

insurgents who hire themselves to the highest bidder.y Unholy nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and

contractors led to creation of insurgents.

yArmy operations against PLA in 1980s.

y By 1990s many insurgents came over ground andjoined politics.

y Insurgents also hired by politicians to rig elections.


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Remediesy Dispassionate analysis of causes.

y Combined civil and military effort, led by civil

administration. Protection to honest officers.y Involvement of judicial machinery in counter

insurgency.

y Proper PDS assumes importance in terrain like

Manipur. Hoarding and black marketing to beeliminated.

y System of checks and balances on developmentalactivities to prevent siphoning of public money.


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Conclusiony Common people worst sufferers in insurgencies.

y Malfunctioning of government machineries prime cause of

all insurgencies.y Myopic government policies and vested interests act as

catalysts.

y Rapid degeneration of insurgents as organized criminals.

y

Solutions very basic in nature; requires political willingnessand clean administration.

y Book an account of ground situation in north east, lessliterary in nature.

Insurgent Frontiers

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