Migration, Regional Autonomy, and Conflicts in Eastern South Asia : Searching for a Home(land)

Delving into the past and present of various secessionist movements in Northeast India, political conflict in Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, a political movement for autonomy in Darjeeling hills in Eastern India, and the Rohingya migration crisis affecting India and Bangladesh, this book examines the volatile co-existence of competing population groups in Eastern South Asia. Through the conceptual lens of the ‘home’ and feeling of ‘homeland’ in Eastern South Asia, the authors seek answers to three complex but interrelated questions: why is Eastern South Asia facing so many political movements and conflicts? How have the political movements affected the region and people? Why is the number of migrants in this region so high? Answers to these questions are vital to those studying South Asia and interested in understanding this region. Foreword Acknowledgments Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables 1: Introduction: Search for Home in Eastern South Asia Home, Homeland and Belonging: The Concepts Competing Senses of Home, Belonging and Ownership Demanding Your Own Homeland Boundaries and Borderland Issues in Eastern South Asia Insurgencies/Ethnic Conflicts in Northeast India Assam Meghalaya Manipur Nagaland Arunachal Pradesh Tripura Mizoram A Brief Overview of the Book’s Chapters References Part I: Crossing Internal and International Borders 2: Displacement, Conflict and Agency in Assam Introduction Migration and Migrant Apathy in Assam: A Historical Background Identity Movements, Resource Competitions and Displacements Development Activities, Natural Disasters and Displacement Keeping Migrant Apathy Alive: Analysing Some Agents and New Issues References 3: Migration from North-East India since the 1990s: Ethnopolitical Issues and Economic Development Perspectives Introduction North-East India as a Diverse and Volatile Borderland Region Data Sources and Methodology of the Study Interstate Migration Stock and Migration to Mainland India Places of Migrants’ Destinations Migration from Mainland India to the North-Eastern States Net Balance of Migration Reasons for Migration Unemployment Rate Employment Elasticity of Economic Growth Discussion: Conflicts in the North-East and Migration Conclusions References 4: Identifying the Factors and Processes of Bangladeshi Immigration into West Bengal: A Qualitative Study Introduction Study Population and Methodology Narratives as a Methodological Tool Trends and Patterns of Undocumented Immigration in West Bengal Findings of the Study Factors of Immigration Starting Procedure of Immigration Initial Occupation and Settlements of Immigrants Conclusions References Part II: Movements for Homeland 5: Alien for Home Country, Unwanted in Foreign Land: Rohingya Refugees in South Asia Rohingyas: Who Are They? Identity, Citizenship, and Home Advisory Commission, and the United Nations on Rohingyas Citizenship Rohingya Refugees in South Asia: Living Away from Home Conclusion References 6: Home and Belonging in Northeast India: Ethnic-territoriality, Conflict, and Citizenship in the India-Myanmar Borderlands Introduction India’s Troubled Northeastern Borderlands Territoriality and Imagined Community Imagined Homeland: The Historical Setting Homeland, Conflicts, and Displacement in Northern Hills of Manipur Evidence from Census Coexistence Was the Norm A Tale of Two Villages Khokon Shaichang Khadawmi Operation in Burma Territoriality and Citizenship in the New Millennium Conclusion References 7: Armed Conflict in Manipur Methodology Manipur: People and Land Armed Organizations Sovereign Independent State Manipur from 14 August 1947 to 15 October 1949 (from Feudal State to Modern State of Manipur) Dominion of India Taking over Manipur/(Annexation of Manipur) The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA-1958) Origin of Armed Conflict in Manipur The Insurgents’ Perspective on the Conflict ‘We Are Not Insurgents’ Statehood Was Not a Factor Phases in the History of Armed Organizations in Manipur 1950s 1960s 1970s: Help from Other Countries 1980s: Phase of Mutual Co-operation Between Different Armed Ethnic Groups 1990s: Ethnicization of Politics The Nature of the Conflict: An Armed Conflict Conclusion References 8: Decoding Bodo Movement and Peace Accords: Enduring Ethnic Solution Versus Political Expediency Introduction Discontenting Ethnic Federalism Assertion of Bodo Subnational Identity Resorting to Extremism and Violence Blend of Antipathy and Inspiration The Apathy of Different Governments The Bodo Accord, 1993 The Bodo Accord, 2003 Anatomy of the Bodo-Muslim Conflict Entry of BJP and Hindutva Mobilisation The Bodo Accord of 2020 Post-Accord Politics and Its Dividends Conclusions References 9: Nepali Speakers of West Bengal, Politics of Self-Rule, and Political Elites Introduction Criteria of State Formation in India and the Case of Gorkhaland History of Mobilisations for Self-Rule The Genesis of Self-Rule and the East India Company Independence and Regional Autonomy Discourse Pranta Parishad, Gorkha National Liberation Front, and Gorkhaland Movement I Poor Performance of DGHC, Sixth Schedule, and Gorkhaland Movement II Creation of Telangana State and Gorkhaland Movement III AITMC in the Hills, Bengali as Compulsory Language, and Gorkhaland Movement IV Concluding Analysis References Part III: Defining Self and Others in Eastern South Asia 10: Koch Rajbanshis and the Kamatapur Movement: Azadi in Eastern India? Introduction Methodology Koch Rajbanshis and the Kamatapur Movement Re-imagination of the Lost Homeland Land Rights and Demand for Schedule Tribe Status Concluding Discussion References 11: The Madhesh Movement in Nepal: At the Crossroad Introduction Historical and Contextual Background of Madhesh/Terai Movement of Identity and Inclusion Madheshi Movement in Nepal Madhesh Movement I Madhesh Movement II All Madhesh, One Pradesh Agenda Achievement and Challenges of Madheshi Movement Conclusion References 12: The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord: Promises and Performances Introduction Historical Background of the Conflict The Bangladesh Period and the Failure to Respect the Tribal People Main Features of the Accord and Implementation Status Expectations Versus Achievements: Broken Promises Conclusions References 13: Concluding Analysis References Index