Northeast India
AFSPA, Insurgency, and Tribal Identity Politics
Northeast India's tribal identity politics is inextricably linked to the region's history of insurgency, state response (including the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958), and the Sixth Schedule/Fifth Schedule framework designed to manage tribal aspirations within the Indian Union.
- AFSPA, 1958: Applies to "disturbed areas" in the Northeast (Assam, Manipur, parts of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh). It grants the armed forces special powers including the right to search premises without warrant, arrest without warrant, and use lethal force. Meghalaya has largely been exempted from AFSPA in recent years.
- Meghalaya's internal security: Meghalaya hosts factions of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) — a Garo militant group seeking a separate homeland. The group has been weakening but retains a low-level presence in Garo Hills.
- Nagaland Framework Agreement (2015): India-NSCN(IM) Framework Agreement on a Naga political solution remains unimplemented; the Naga issue affects the broader NE tribal politics.
- Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC): A sub-state council in Assam under the Sixth Schedule for Bodo tribal people; the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord brought the NDFB factions into the political mainstream.
● Tracked since February 14, 2026 · last seen March 09, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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