• MR. SATYA PRAKASH MAJHI
• DR. SAROJ KUMAR JENA

The media's portrayal of insurgency and counter-insurgency in Northeast India has historically been limited and biased, leading to significant implications for policy formation and public perception. This study explores how media narratives shape counter-insurgency strategies, focusing on recent ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. Drawing from Arjit Sen’s (2011) research on media coverage in Northeast India, particularly the marginalization of conflicts such as the Indo-Naga war, this study highlights the ongoing challenges of selective silence, stereotypes, and misrepresentation in mainstream Indian media. Sen's work discusses the underreporting of critical insurgencies in the region, starting from Gavin Young’s reportage on the Indo-Naga war in the 1960s, which broke through an enforced media blackout. This lack of coverage has persisted, with modern conflicts often presented through the lens of exoticism, othering, or negative stereotypes. The selective media engagement in Northeast India contrasts sharply with extensive coverage of conflicts in other parts of the country, contributing to the region's characterization as an area of darkness. This perpetuation of colonial narratives through media biases, as seen in the portrayal of the recent Manipur conflict, affects both public perception and the formation of counter-insurgency policies. By analyzing contemporary media narratives surrounding the ethnic violence in Manipur, this research aims to understand how media influences both policy formation and the social construction of insurgencies in Northeast India. It examines how limited and skewed media coverage reinforces ethnic divisions and affects counter-insurgency strategies. The study also addresses the broader implications of this media disengagement on governance and the integration of Northeast India into the national consciousness, concluding that a more balanced and nuanced media representation is crucial for effective policy responses and conflict resolution.

Media Narratives, Counter-Insurgency, Northeast India, Perception and Policy Formation, Ethnic Conflict

"ROLE OF MEDIA IN SHAPING COUNTER INSURGENCY STRATEGY: A STUDY OF NORTH EAST INDIA ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 9, page no.d91-d98, September-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2509314.pdf

"ROLE OF MEDIA IN SHAPING COUNTER INSURGENCY STRATEGY: A STUDY OF NORTH EAST INDIA ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 9, page no. ppd91-d98, September-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2509314.pdf