The insurgency in Northeast India is an ongoing armed conflict in a number of India's northeastern states between the Indian government and several militant groups with various political ideologies, including separatism, communism, and Islamism.
Northeast India consists of eight states: the seven sister states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland, and the brother state Sikkim included later. These states are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as 14.29 miles (23.00 km) wide. Tensions have existed between insurgents in the seven sister states and the central government as well as amongst their native indigenous people and migrants from other parts of India and illegal immigrants for many decades now.
Since the middle of 2010s, insurgency in the region has seen rapid decline, with a 80% reduction in violence and an 89% drop in civilian deaths in 2022 compared to 2014. Manipur has witnessed a rise in insurgent activities ever since ethnic violence broke out in the state on 3 May 2023 between the Meitei people and the Kuki people. This has led to a new era in Manipur's insurgency where militant groups witnessed a resurgence in membership.
In the 2014 Indian general election, Nagaland had the national high with 87.2% voter turnout. However most northeastern states had a higher voter turnout than national average except for Manipur, which had 60% voter turnout. Indian authorities claim that this shows the faith of the northeastern people in Indian democracy. In 2020, General Anil Chauhan, the then Chief of the Eastern Command (later, Chief of Defence Staff), stated that the area of violence in the entire North-East has shrunk primarily to an area which is the tri-junction between Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and north Nagaland.
On 27 April 2026, it was reported that the Government of India plans to eliminate insurgency in the region by 2029. The development follows the achievement of the 31 March 2026 deadline for Naxalite–Maoist insurgency with only one LWE-hit district (West Singhbhum). The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), along with the CoBRA battalions, is expected to be restructured and deployed to the region following 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election (until 4 May) and Amarnath Yatra (until August) by mid 2026. Initially, the last Maoist Central Committee member, Misir Besra, would be tracked down in West Singhbhum and the state governments shall be formed following state assembly elections, followed by CAPF deployment for Amarnath Yatra and finally the North East. The North East deployment would commence with Manipur, followed by Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. The shift of force from the left-wing extremist region will be "calibrated". Manipur has already received the first batch of mine protected vehicles. Further, the Home Ministry has also tasked the Narcotics Control Bureau to plan a "systemic crackdown" on narcotics trade in the region which is being used to fund the insurgents.
Reasons
Historically, the treatment of the Northeast as separate from the rest of India during the colonial era has continued to negatively affect its integration into the Republic of India. Present-day Northeast India started to be annexed into British India in the early 19th century to defend the eastern frontier from the incursions of the Burmese Empire, with Assam becoming part of the Bengal Presidency until 1874. Myanmar was part of British India for several decades; the dynamics of British rule in the region, which was the first time that a pan-Indian unit had fully conquered the Northeastern South Asian space, and Myanmar's 1937 separation from Indian administration, still affect their border regions today.
Ethnic diversity
North-East India is India's most ethnically diversified area. Around 40 million people live there, including 213 of India's 635 tribal groups. These tribes each have their own distinct culture, each tribal group disagrees with being combined into mainstream India because it means losing their unique identity, giving rise to insurgency.
Lack of representation
The long distance between mainland India and the northeast, as well as a lack of representation for the region in the Indian Parliament, has contributed to the northeast being more neglected in the political framework of the country, which has served as a major reason behind the insurgencies occurring in the region.
East Bengali refugees
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, an estimated 10 million people from East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) fled the country and took refuge in India, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal and the Indian northeast, especially Tripura and Assam. This changed the demography of the area, resulting in greater competition between locals and refugees, which further contributed to the insurgency in the area.
Underdevelopment
The northeast has been traditionally neglected economically in India, with the region receiving low levels of investment from both the Indian government and other investors.
Partitioned against will
The partitioning of the Northeast by the British during colonial rule resulted in arbitrary divisions that continue to affect the region today. One significant outcome was the separation of Chittagong from the Northeast, altering geographical and cultural connections. Similarly, the division of the Kachin-Chin region and Eastern Nagalim further fragmented communities that had historical ties. Additionally, the intervention of leaders like Nehru and organizations like the UN in the region's affairs exacerbated tensions and deepened divisions. These actions not only disrupted the natural cohesion of the region but also sowed seeds of discontent that persist to this day.
Mizoram (1966–1986)
Mizo uprising (1966)
The Mizo National Front uprising was a revolt against the government of India aimed at establishing a sovereign nation state for the Mizo people, which started on 28 February 1966.
MNF insurgency (1966–1986)
Mizoram's tensions were largely due to the simmering Assamese domination and the neglect of the Mizo people. In 1986, the Mizo accord ended the main secessionist movement led by the Mizo National Front, bringing peace to the region. Insurgency status is classified as partially active, due to secessionist/autonomy demands by the Buddhist Chakmas for Chakmasthan and BRU (Reang) tribe of Tripuri kinship demanding Bru ADC . The Chakma and Reang tribes complain of religious and ethnic persecution, and complain that the dominant Mizo ethnic group, almost entirely Christian, wants to convert them to Christianity.
Manipur
Manipur, which had been a princely state under the British Raj, acceded to India on 11 August 1947 and merged into the Indian Union on 15 October 1949, shortly before India became a Republic under its national constitution. The Maharaja of Manipur was given a privy purse and allowed to retain his cultural and religious functions. Manipur was pegged as a Part 'C' State, later renamed a union territory. In 1963, when neighbouring Nagaland was granted statehood, the Manipuris felt short-changed and started agitating for full statehood.
Despite the fact that Manipur became a separate state of the Indian Union on 21 January 1972, the insurgency continued. On 8 September 1980, Manipur was declared an area of disturbance, when the Indian government imposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 on the region; the act currently remains in force.
The parallel rise of Naga nationalism in neighbouring Nagaland led to the emergence of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) activities in Manipur. Clashes between the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang factions of the NSCN further aggravated tensions, as Kuki tribal began creating their own guerrilla groups in order to protect their interests from alleged Naga violations. Skirmishes between the two ethnic groups took place during the 1990s. Other ethnic groups such as the Paite, Vaiphei, Pangals and Hmars followed suit establishing militant groups.
Manipur has witnessed ethnic violence between the Kuki and the Meitei communities since 3 May 2023 which killed more than 120 people and injured more than 3000 people and led to a rise in militant activities in the region.
UNLF (1964–present)
The first separatist faction known as the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) was founded on 24 November 1964.
Marxist & Maoist groups (1977–present)
Between 1977 and 1980, the People's Liberation Army of Manipur (PLA), the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) were formed, immediately joining the war.
Nagaland
Nagaland was created in 1963 as the 16th state of the Indian Union, before which it was a district of Assam. Active Naga-Kuki insurgent groups mainly demand full independence. The Naga National Council led by Phizo was the first group to dissent in 1947 and in 1956 they went underground.
NSCN insurgency (1980–present)
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland was formed in 1980 to establish a Greater Nagaland, encompassing parts of Manipur, Nagaland, and the north Cachar hills (Assam). The NSCN split in 1988 to form two groups, NSCN(IM) and NSCN(K). As of 2015, both groups have observed a ceasefire truce with the Indian government.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland—Khaplang is the second faction with the same aim of a Greater Nagaland and was formed in 1988.
Tripura (1978–2024)
The insurgent groups in Tripura emerged at the end of the 1970s, as ethnic tensions between perceived Bangladeshi infiltration and the tribal native population who were outnumbered by the former, hailing from other parts of India and nearby Bangladesh, which resulted in their being reduced to minority status even threatening them economically, socially, culturally; this resulted in a clarion call for safeguarding tribal rights and cultures. Such being the extent of desperation, this naturally resulted in hatred and suspicion and their status is classified as active.
The first organised armed outfit to form was Tripura National Volunteers (TNV), which was active from 1978 to 1988.
The National Liberation Front of Tripura was formed in March 1989 by Dhananjoy Reang. During the period 1992 to 2001, a total of 764 civilians and 184 members of the security forces were killed in NLFT attacks.It was the most powerful organisation in Tripura with estimated strength of 1500 to 2000 carders at its peak time. In 2019, it signed the Tripura Peace Accord to end the insurgency.
The All Tripura Tiger Force was formed by local aboriginal tribes in 1990, who were gradually outnumbered both directly and indirectly, even at the cost of being threatened for their survival
economically and culturally, not to speak of their being reduced to minority population-wise; their sole aim is the expulsion of all Bangladeshi infiltration nearby Bangladesh.
The 2024 Tripura Peace Accord was signed between the insurgent groups NLFT, ATTF and the Government of India, Government of Tripura ending the 35 year old Insurgency in Tripura in the state.The last remaining 328 militants of both groups surrendered to the Government forces as a part of the agreement and the Government of India announced a financial package of ₹250 crore for the rehabilitation of the surrendered cadres to the mainstream society.
Assam
Assam has been a refuge for militants for a number of years, due to its porous borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan and also due to its very close proximity to Burma. The main causes of the friction include anti-foreigner agitation in the 1980s, and the simmering indigenous-migrant tensions. The government of Bangladesh has arrested and extradited senior leaders of the ULFA.
Bodoland
ULFA (1990–present)
The United Liberation Front of Assam was formed in April 1979 to establish a sovereign state of Assam for the indigenous people of Assam through an armed struggle. In recent times the organisation has lost its middle rung leaders after most of them were arrested.
KLO (1995–present)
The objective of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) is to carve out a separate Kamtapur Nation. The proposed state is to comprise six districts in West Bengal and four contiguous districts of Assam which are Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur and Malda of West Bengal and four contiguous districts of Assam – Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara. The KLO, in the beginning, was an unconcealed organisation, which was formed to address problems of the Koch Rajbongshi people, such as large-scale unemployment, land alienation, perceived neglect of Kamtapuri language, identity, and grievances of economic deprivation.
Meghalaya
The state of Meghalaya was separated from the state of Assam in 1971, in order to satisfy the Khasi, Synteng and Garo for a separate state. The decision was initially praised as an example of successful national integration into the wider Indian state.
This, however, failed to prevent the rise of national consciousness among the local tribal populations, later leading to a direct confrontation between Indian nationalism and the newly created Garo and Khasi nationalisms. A parallel rise of nationalism in the other members of the Seven Sister States further complicated the situation, resulting in occasional clashes between rebel groups.
The state wealth distribution system further fueled the rising separatist movements, as funding is practised through per-capita transfers, which largely benefits the leading ethnic group.
The first militant outfit to emerge in the region was the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council (HALC). It was formed in 1992, aiming to protect the interests of Meghalaya's indigenous population from the rise of non-tribal ("Dkhar") immigration.
A conflict of interest soon led to a split of the HALC. The Garo members formed the Achik Matgrik Liberation Army (AMLA) while the joint Jaintia-Khasi alliance of Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) was formed in 1993. The HNLC claims to represent the Khasi – Jaintia people, and its aim is to free Meghalaya from the alleged domination of the Garos and the outsiders (the "Dkhars").
The AMLA passed into obscurity, while the Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) took its place. The Garo-Khasi drift persisted as the HNLC had set up the goal of turning Meghalaya into an exclusively Khasi region; the ANVC, on the other hand, sought the creation of an independent state in the Garo Hills.