Maroc - EURASIAREVIEW.COM - A la une - 28/Jan 00:50

India: Meghalaya’s Contentious Path – Analysis

By Afsara Shaheen On January 22, 2025, the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) accused the Meghalaya Police of using the surrendered cadres as weapons against it. In a statement, HNLC 'general secretary-cum-publicity secretary' Sainkupar Nongtraw claimed the government's actions during and after the peace talks with the HNLC demonstrate "bad faith diplomacy." He added, "Summoning our leaders during negotiations was not a step toward peace but an act of coercion, proving they sought control, not dialogue. Now, targeting lower-ranking members is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and fragment our movement - a textbook example of the divide-and-rule strategy." Earlier, on January 20, 2025, HNLC issued a new 'manifesto' demanding recognition of a 'semi-sovereign status' for the Hynniewtrep people, while accusing the Indian government of violating decades-old agreements. The 10-chapter 'manifesto' focuses on violations of the 1947 Standstill Agreement and claims the Instrument of Accession (IOA) was signed under coercion. "These agreements, intended to safeguard our autonomy, were signed under coercion and amidst grave injustices perpetrated by the Government of India," the manifesto states. The HNLC presented four key demands to the central government, including acknowledgement of the IOA violations and direct dialogue for autonomy restoration. The manifesto further outlines a vision for self-governance, including control over land resources and cultural practices. Before issuing a new manifesto, on January 12, 2025, the HNLC condemned the Meghalaya Government's plan to establish land banks under the Investment Meghalaya Agency (IMA). In a statement, the HNLC alleged that the Meghalaya government's assurances regarding the protection of indigenous land rights are misleading and pose a serious threat to the autonomy and territorial rights of the Hynniewtrep people. It expressed concern that the IMA's mandate to purchase and manage land directly undermines the Land Transfer Act, which aims to protect indigenous lands from encroachment. The HNLC urged all indigenous communities, traditional leaders, and well-wishers to stand united in defense of their ancestral lands, asserting that they will not surrender their rightful control over their land to the highest bidder. On November 14, 2024, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) declared HNLC, an insurgent outfit based in Meghalaya, a banned organisation for five years due to its involvement in violent activities and actions that threaten India's sovereignty and integrity. The UMHA notification declared that the Union Government was of the view that the insurgent group had declared its aim for the secession of areas in Meghalaya primarily inhabited by the Khasi and Jaintia tribes, and that the group continued to intimidate civilians to extort funds on behalf of the organisation. "The HNLC, along with all its factions, wings, and front organisations of Meghalaya, has been involved in such activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India," the notification read. Later, on December 8, 2024, the UMHA established a judicial tribunal to review the ban on HNLC. The group was designated as unlawful under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967, due to its violent actions, links with other insurgents, and 48 criminal cases, including bombings, between November 2019 and June 2024. It is pertinent to recall here that, on June 24, 2023, tripartite peace talks between the Centre, the Meghalaya Government and HNLC began at Umiam near Shillong in the Ri Bhoi District of Meghalaya. HNLC demanded the withdrawal of all criminal charges and sought amnesty for its cadres, to pave the way for successful talks. Sadon Blah, representing HNLC, asserted, "The general amnesty demanded includes withdrawal of all cases against the cadres, including a case against four top HNLC leaders who have been charge sheeted by the NIA. The general amnesty will pave the way for the peace negotiations to move forward." However, within a few months, on August 12, 2023, HNLC threatened to withdraw from ongoing peace talks with the Meghalaya Government if attempts were made to impose terms on them. The outfit asserted that it operated independently and was not subject to governmental authority. Later, on December 31, 2023, HNLC withdrew from the tripartite peace talks. HNLC's 'general secretary cum publicity secretary' Sainkupar Nongtraw declared, "The purpose of this communication is to formally announce the decision of the HNLC to withdraw from the negotiation table. This decision has been made in response to the government's lack of seriousness in addressing our core demands." Days later, on January 8, 2024, the Meghalaya government spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh reiterated that the state government remained committed to peace talks with HNLC, though no positive developments emerged, and ultimately UMHA banned the outfit. Despite significant government efforts to foster peace, including dialogue and conditional amnesty offers, HNLC's withdrawal from negotiations highlights deep-rooted grievances and mistrust. The outfit, however, has failed to create significant disturbances in the state over the past couple of years. Other prominent insurgent groups in Meghalaya - the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) and Achik National Volunteer Council-Bilash Marak (ANVC-B) - have also become inactive on the ground. While GNLA had more or less been neutralised in the aftermath of Operation Hill Storm between July 2014 and September 2016, ANVC and ANVC-B signed Memorandums of Settlement (MoS) with the Government in 2014 and dissolved themselves. The last killing linked to GNLA was reported on February 24, 2018, when the group's then 'commander-in-chief', Sohan D. Shira, was killed in an encounter by Meghalaya Police at Dobu A'chakpek in the East Garo Hills District. Indeed, the security situation in the state has improved considerably. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Meghalaya has not recorded any insurgency-related fatalities since September 14, 2021, when an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the United Achik Liberation Army (UALA) and A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) was killed near Tura in West Garo Hills District. The last civilian fatality occurred on May 12-13, 2019, when a villager near the Indo-Bangladesh border in Lapalang village, East Khasi Hills District, was killed by insurgents. The most recent Security Force (SF) fatality was on February 18, 2018, when Jonathone N. Sangma, a National Congress Party (NCP) candidate, and two security personnel were killed in an ambush involving an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Samanda, East Garo Hills. Meghalaya experienced its peak insurgency in 1997, recording 495 fatalities. There was a peak of 266 civilian deaths in 1993 and 111 SFs fatalities in 1997. Fatalities remained in triple digits between 1992 and 2000, but dropped into double digits between 2001 and 2016. Over the past eight years, between 2017 and 2024, there were no fatalities in four years - 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024, while there were eight in 2017, seven in 2018, one in 2019 and two in 2021. Of the total of 18 fatalities during this period, GNLA was linked to 13, HNLC and UALA to two each, and one to the National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Saraigowra (NDFB-S). However, HNLC was suspected to be responsible for at least six of the 21 IED blasts that occurred in Meghalaya between 2017 and 2024. GNLA was responsible for one of these, while the perpetrators of the remaining 14 IED detonations are yet unidentified. The last explosion took place, on March 14, 2024, at Shillong City Bus Syndicate near the Harijan Colony in Them Lew Mawlong in East Khasi Hills District. The HNLC statement read, "We claim responsibility for the IED blast at Them Metor (Harijan Colony) on the night of March 9. The Budnar Shadow Squad (BSS), which operates as the special forces of the HNLC, was responsible for carrying out this blast." One civilian was injured in the incident. While HNLC thus remains a contentious entity in Meghalaya, the unfenced Indo-Bangladesh border compounds security concerns. Disputes over fencing have delayed border management, allowing for illegal infiltration. Meghalaya's history of insurgency, ongoing challenges with banned groups such as HNLC, and the vulnerable border collectively underscore the need for robust governance, sustained dialogue, and effective security strategies, to ensure long-term stability. Afsara ShaheenResearch Associate, Institute for Conflict Management