Meghalaya's Insurgency

In the course of its nationwide evaluation of state human rights committees, the Human Rights Law Network observed most state committees had few or no minority, civil society, or female representatives. The HRLN claimed the committees were ineffective  and at times hostile toward victims, hampered by political appointments, understaffed, and underfunded. Some human rights NGOs criticized the NHRC’s budgetary dependence on the government and its policy of not investigating abuses more than one year old. Some claimed the NHRC did not register all complaints, dismissed cases arbitrarily, did not investigate cases thoroughly, rerouted complaints back to the alleged violator, and did not adequately protect complainants.

At least 20,000 ‘stateless’ Rohingyas, unclaimed either by Myanmar or Bangladesh, have escaped in the aftermath of one-sided riots and other outbreaks of ethnic violence that left about 1,50,000 people displaced. The violence in 2012 followed ethnic tensions between the indigenous Bodo people and Bengali-speaking Muslims. They also feel that because of their distinct facial features they are compared to the Chinese and other similar ethnic communities. The recent murder of a north-east student in Delhi has again highlighted this sensitive issue. The government has seized the issue and has formed a special committee headed by an MP from the North-east to see how such discrimination can be avoided.
In May national Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi said FGM/C should be a criminal offense. UNHCR and refugee advocacy groups estimated that between 25,000 and 28,000 of the approximately 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in Tamil Nadu were “hill country” Tamils. While Sri Lankan law allows “hill country” refugees to present affidavits to secure Sri Lankan citizenship, UNHCR believed that until the Sri Lankan government processes the paperwork, such refugees were at risk of becoming stateless. In July media watchdog The Hoot reported internet shutdowns had risen from eight in the first half of 2016 to 23 in the first half of the year.

In fact, devoid of any comprehensive ideology, they act more as extortionists rather than insurgents and seemingly play into the hands of NSCN (I-M). The senior Congress leader further said that the youths of the State today are living with a sense of despair which is making them vulnerable. Mukul Sangma said that development in the Northeast has been slow due to a long history of militancy in the region. To look at the history of HNLC, the first time the group took a major hit was when Dorphang surrendered in July 2007, becoming disillusioned by the militancy’s wayward trajectory, guided by the strict control of defence forces and police. Besides, 6 teams of CoBRA were also deployed in Meghalaya to check insurgent activities.
On January 17, 2018, State Director General of Police Swaraj Bir Singh stated that only 21 militancy-related incidents were reported in 2017, while there were 310 such incidents in 2013, 341 in 2014, 310 in 2015, and 118 in 2016. The State recorded eight fatalities, including six militants and two civilians, in 2017; as against 26 fatalities, including 10 civilians and 16 militants in 2016, according to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal . Year 2015 had recorded a total of 61 fatalities, including 34 militants, 19 civilians, and eight SF personnel; while there were 76 such fatalities in 2014. Thus, the declining trend of overall fatalities established in 2015 continued through 2017.

There were reports that school officials barred Dalit children from morning prayers, asked Dalit children to sit in the back of the class, or forced them to clean school toilets while denying them access to the same facilities. There were also reports that teachers refused to correct the homework of Dalit children, refused to provide midday meals to Dalit children, and asked Dalit children to sit separately from children of upper-caste families. The law provides equal rights for persons with a variety of disabilities, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 increased the number of recognized disabilities, including Parkinson’s disease and acid attacks.
In some cases police reportedly held suspects without registering their arrests and denied detainees sufficient food and water. According to the NCRBPrison Statistics India 2015report, there were 1,401 prisons in the country with an authorized capacity of 366,781 persons. Persons awaiting trial accounted for more than two-thirds of the prison population. The law requires detention of juveniles in rehabilitative facilities, although at times authorities detained them in adult prisons, especially in rural areas. In Uttar Pradesh occupancy at most prisons was two and sometimes three times the permitted capacity, according to an adviser appointed by the Supreme Court. On June 19, Abhay Singh, an antiques dealer, died while in custody in Odisha, allegedly following seven days of torture.
On 9 September 2002, ANVC militants kill 6 policemen, after laying an ambush in the vicinity of Chokpot. The state wealth distribution system further fueled the rising separatist movements, as funding is practiced through per capita transfers, which largely benefits the leading ethnic group. “He did not meet the people on the streets who have been affected, who are living through the trauma.

On July 27, the Armed Forces Tribunal suspended the life sentences of five army personnel involved in the 2010 killing of three civilians from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The civilians were reportedly killed in a staged encounter and later accused of being foreign militants. On June 27, the Gujarat High Court granted bail to Atul Vaidya, one of 24 individuals convicted in the 2002 Gulbarg Society killings, when a rioting mob killed 69 individuals during communal unrest. The Gujarat government did not allow the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation to appeal to the Supreme Court to enhance the sentences awarded to some of the 24 persons convicted or to challenge the acquittal of 14 others accused. On October 5, the Gujarat High Court dismissed Zakia Jafri’s plea, upholding a lower court’s verdict exonerating senior Gujarat government officials, citing lack of prosecutable evidence following her allegations of “a larger conspiracy” behind the 2002 riots.
On April  21, several Gotti Koya huts were burned, and on September 16, 36 huts were pulled down as a woman tied herself to a tree in an effort to stop authorities from carrying out the operation. On October 13, the Hyderabad High Court directed the Telangana government not to displace the Gotti Koya tribal members or demolish their dwelling units. The trend of delaying issuance and renewal of passports to citizens from the state of Jammu and Kashmir continued, sometimes up to two years.

The Meghalaya Home Minister, Lakhmen Rymbui, also sent a letter of resignation to the Chief Minister, in shock over Thangkhiew’s killing, declaring that even he was unaware of such an endeavour being planned and executed by the state government. This led to a further deterioration in the legitimacy of the Sangma government, since Rymbui is a member of the United Democratic Party , which is an ally of the Chief Minister’s National People’s Party . This was worsened by the Meghalaya Cabinet ordering a judicial enquiry into the controversial matter on 16th August 2021. The Cabinet also instituted a Peace Committee chaired by ministers and constituted NGOs, other members of civil society, religious organizations and community heads.
When anti-Muslim carnage broke out in the western state in 2002, I realised how lack of adequate policing could leave immense harmful impact. On the other hand, insurgency in two other states Manipur and Meghalaya have thrived or continued to persist with their own peculiarities. The tribal-non tribal relationship is very sensitive and issues of joblessness etc keep visiting people's mind.

On July 26, the upper house of parliament issued a statement in response to hate crimes, expressing the need for the Union and the Ministry of Home Affairs to take proactive measures in order to create a heightened sense of security and inclusion for citizens from the northeastern region. In response to a recommendation of the Supreme Court, a committee was established to address such concerns. The country recognizes Hijras (male-to-female transgender persons) as a third gender, separate from men or women.
The agreement enhances the autonomy for the Garo Hills Autonomous District and includes financial aid, which will facilitate the socio-economic and educational development of the area. On 10 December 2010, four GNLA rebels were killed five were detained in a clash with police officers that took place in the East Garo Hills district. Manipur, the rest of the North-East, and all of India are craving for peace,” it said in the statement. “Just trite photo opportunities between the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and church leaders are not the solution. The Union Government has to decide whether it wants to create divisions to suit the interests of a political party, or whether it wants to create lasting unity and peace. The party further said there are serious issues of insurgency, land ownership, law and order which need to be addressed in a sensitive manner.