Ethnic identity Unending conflict in NE India
- Part 2

By Sapam Dilip *

Problem of Northeast India

The assimilation of smaller communities either forcibly or willingly into a larger community seems to be an aspect of Indian Polity. Almost all the ethnic groups inhabiting the North East India have taken up arms with the sole intention of protecting and preserving their identity.

As a result of which the North-East Region has been a theatre of violence. There has been an armed conflict between the Government forces and organised armed groups for the last four decades. The armed groups of the region may be categorised into two types.

i) Those groups who seek to assert their social, political, economic and cultural identity within the frame work of Indian Constitution; and
ii) Those groups who attempt to assert their identity beyond the Constitution of India.

The problem of the former category is somewhat easier than the problem posed by the latter one. Because, threat posed by the former category can be solved at anytime if the Government of India has an acute political will.

What is more crucial is the problem posed by the second category that seeks to assert their social, political, economic and cultural identity outside the framework of Constitution of India. International law seems to support their agenda as it recognises the right to self determination of every community so as to enable them to assert their rights and to enjoy freedom.

Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter lays down that the purpose of UN is "to develop friendly relation among nations based on the respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of the peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace".

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and International covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights 1966 also recognise the right to self determination. Article 1 of both the Covenants lay down that "All peoples have the right of self determination".

By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development". India has ratified these Covenants in 1979 with the reservation of Article 1.

As a signatory State of the Covenant the government of India is bound to obey the covenant. Moreover, as a contender for the permanent member of the UN Security Council, India has to withdraw the reservation so that those legitimate community can enjoy their inherent rights.

It is known from the above analysis that international and human rights laws have created legitimate right of every community who have own identity to exercise the inherent right of self-determination. Perhaps, Every Community of the North East India have also been greatly influenced by such legitimate rights granted by international and human rights laws.

As a result of such influence dozens of armed groups emerge to assert their identity. Every group stated to dominate other groups by employing different technique so as to prove and assert that the community has all the requisite norms to be an identifiable ethnic community. As an adverse impact of it we have be witnessing ethnic clashes in the region for the last few years.

Conclusion:

Assertion of one's identity is a universal phenomenon. It happens in the course of human history. It will go on. But it seems that the ethnic conflict of the North-East is due to negligent policy and careless administration of the Government.

If the government of India has political will to solve the problems once for all, it can solve the problem without difficulty. It may be worthwhile to mention here that after the Pokhran (II) Test, USA had imposed economic sanction against India.

However, within a short span of time India could be an intimate ally of USA. It proves the ability of the government of India to act and to respond to any situation howsoever difficult if it is determined.

Finally, ethnic groups trying to assert their identity should not bypass the doctrine of peaceful co-existence. The legitimate rights granted by the international and human rights law should be interpreted and regulated with due consideration of the local situation.

If not, the situation will not improve and their goal cannot be achieved. It will rather bring prolonged and unending conflict in the North-East.

Concluded.....