India is changing, but not The North-east

Many things have changed in India since Independence. But one major part of the country has remained unaffected from these changes in every walk of life and society. And that is the troubled North-Eastern states of India. No development, no Industries, falling per capita income and rising Insurgency. The word Independence is widely used in seven states of the area known as SEVEN SISTERS. But this is used to describe Independence from India and not Indian independence. Each time insurgent groups carry on blast and killing of innocent people in run-up to Independence Day. This year also is no exception. The insurgents have killed nearly two dozen innocent Hindi-speaking migrants in the first two weeks of August. Four Major insurgent groups in the area have appealed to boycott the Independence Day celebration like before.
Linked by a 20-Km wide corridor to the rest of the country, the remote northeast is India's most violent and heavily patrolled region after Kashmir. It is plagued by a fierce guerrilla war between tribal separatists and Indian troops. The conflict has claimed about a life a day over the past four decades. Despite a peace process going on for one decade (10 Years completed on 1st August this year) between Naga Insurgents and Indian government, the ground situation remains the same. The question people ask are-Are we really Independent? But it seems no one including the Governments has the answer. The area where peoples from other states of India are called HINDUSTANI (INDIAN) even after 60 years of the Independence, this question is worth asking. The Independence Day celebration in this part of the country means a day of strike amid gloomy atmosphere. In nagaland and Manipur, the situation is worst. The Hindi-speaking businessmen are fleeing the area due to the killings and extortions by Insurgent groups. The situation has worsened in last two decades. In these states insurgents groups are running parallel administration and police and government are helpless.
Within the seven north-east states, Manipur remains one of the most violent. Officials estimate more than 10,000 have died since the conflict fully broke out in the early 1980s. Other experts say that the real figure is far higher. Each and every militant organization is fighting for what they call "Sovereign, independent Manipur, Nagaland or Assam The historical inclusion of Manipur, a distinct kingdom for nearly 2,000 years, into the Dominion of India is hotly contested. More than one dozen militant groups are active in this tiny hill state alone.
When the British colonial rulers left India in 1947, Manipur actually regained its independence. But just two years later, it became part of India. Many Manipuri's claim that their king was forced to sign the controversial Merger Agreement of 1949. Several insurgent groups increasingly issue diktats and rulings on moral and social behavior, enforced with the threat of violence. Bollywood films are no longer screened in the state because of their allegedly "corrupting Indian influence".
In Assam, which is called the Gateway of the northeast, the situation remains volatile. United liberation front of Assam (ULFA)and other insurgent groups have killed more than 2 dozen peoples of Hindi origin. No one dares to defy the ULFA dictate of not to unfurl the tri-colour on Independence day.
A senior Indian government official says that the bulk of the violence is being inflicted by these insurgents, who have converted insurgency into a livelihood. The desire of the Indian Government to invest in the north-east is increasingly evident. All state departments have provisions to spend 10% of their budgets on the development of the region. But the development is nowhere to be seen. With no new industries coming up in the area due to militancy, more and more youths are treading the path of violence with one militant organization or the other. And the problem seems to be getting complex by each passing day.