• CV Lalmalsawmi

This paper tries to examine the complex interface between security and territoriality in the context of the Post-Colonial Indian State’s policy of militarization and other co-optation policies of the geo-strategic northeast region and the socio-economic, geo-political and foreign policy implications of the same. The emergence of the seven states of Northeast India has been marked by violent secessionist movements, insurgencies, assertions of ethno-cultural identities and demands for self-determination and autonomy. This has invariably prompted the Indian State to declare various parts of the region as ‘disturbed areas’ under different legislations, effectively equipping its armed forces with extraordinary powers over the civilian populations in these areas. The securitization of northeast is exemplified by the prolonged imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958 that is borne out of the national security mindset of New Delhi’s policymakers in their effort to stem the separatist tendencies of the Nagas and the Mizos, leading to excesses in law and order implementation and numerous human rights violations in the areas concerned. In this backdrop, the present study will try to draw attention to the futility of military-led counter-insurgency measures of the post-colonial Indian state that fail to take into account the unique aspirations and issues of the communities concerned and the need to adopt a balanced and holistic approach in dealing with its volatile border region. The paper uses qualitative method and relies on secondary sources drawing from a rich literature on the northeast including books, journals and online materials.

Northeast, Border, National Security, AFSPA, Counter-Insurgency, Post-colonial.

"Borders As Disturbed Areas Securitization Of India’s Northeast And Its Implications", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 3, page no.1098-1112, March-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1903K59.pdf

"Borders As Disturbed Areas Securitization Of India’s Northeast And Its Implications", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 3, page no. pp1098-1112, March-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1903K59.pdf