The agreement was one among others between Nagaland and the Centre such as the Shillong Accord of 1975 with the Naga National Council led by Angami Phizo (who declared it an independent state in 1947) and the 1997 ceasefire concord with the NSCN (IM). The talks marked a step forward in the Centre’s endeavour to end insurgency in Nagaland, after an agreement was signed with the Narendra Modi government in 2015 to create an enabling framework. In March 2022, the Centre decided to reduce the number of areas under AFSPA in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam, but in October, it was extended to areas of Assam adjacent to the Nagaland border because the ‘peace’ talks with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN (IM) and the Naga National Political Groups hit a dead end. The Act was enacted in 1958 and practically covered the entire region, especially Nagaland, which was carved out of undivided Assam. The Centre’s use of the heavy-handed AFSPA reflects its confused attitude towards handling administrative issues in the North-East.

But there’s a disconcerting underbelly of violence and conflict, exacerbated by New Delhi’s long-established overbearing ways towards the states and their own internal problems caused by immigration from Bangladesh, intra-border disputes, ethnic and religious clashes, protracted insurgencies and the consequently heavy military presence which led to protests like the one in July 2004 when Manipur’s women hit the streets against the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA.

The mighty Brahmaputra, the flora, the hills and the religious, ethnic and linguistic profusion make for attractive visuals and a narrative of outward harmony in diversity. Picture the country’s North-East and the images the region conjures are two-toned.

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