NE Security Scenario

While the NDA government led by Narendra Modi approaches the 18th Lok Sabha election, it is also time to take stock of the security and overall law-and-order scenario in the Northeastern region. Even the hardest critic of the government must accept that, thanks to its untiring efforts, the present regime has been able to bring about a very significant change in the overall security scenario. This has been possible by addressing the multiple problems of the region with a holistic effort and an inclusive outlook. The very mindset of the young people of the region has changed, so much so that the present generation does not seem to bother about the insurgent groups. While the multi-dimensional approach of the government has plugged all the holes through which the insurgent groups used to lure a sizable section of the young people across the region, these groups have been compelled to bid goodbye to the wrong path that they had chosen and return to the path of peace. The latest report of the Northeast division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also reflected this changed reality, pointing out that compared to 2014, there has been a reduction of 71 percent in insurgency incidents, 60 percent in security forces casualties, and 82 percent in civilian deaths in 2023 in the region. It has also pointed out that due to the significant improvement in the security situation in the north-eastern states, the AFSPA has been removed completely from all but four districts of Assam, from 19 police station areas in seven districts of Manipur, and from 18 police station areas in eight districts of Nagaland. In Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, the AFSPA has been reduced to three police station areas in Namsai district, besides Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts. It is now for the people as well as the government to build up on this changed scenario and make the Northeast the real growth engine of the country.