Discuss the various stages in the evolution of the Northeast as a region.

Four states of Northeast India emerged from the state of Assam – Nagaland in 1963, Meghalaya in 1972, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in 1987 (they became Union Territories in 1972). Two of them – Manipur and Tripura were princely states during the colonial period. Arunachal Pradesh had existed in the form of an administrative unit known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA). Sikkim was a country prior to joining India as a state in 1975. Let us discuss how the formations of the states of Northeast India occurred.

1. Assam

As stated earlier, Assam was made a separate province by the colonial authorities in 1874. It was done following the transfer of colonial headquarters from Cherrapunji to Shillong. Until then, the region which became Assam was a part of the Bengal Presidency. The British transferred headquarters from Cherrapunji because it was inconvenient as it recorded the highest rainfall. From 1826 onwards, large parts of Assam came under British rule. In 1826 the Treaty of Yandabo was signed between the British and the Burmese. The treaty was signed in a specific political context. The Burmese were expanding into Ahom territories. Finding it difficult to face the Burmese, the British intervened on the invitation of the Ahom king and defeated the Burmese. It led to the signing of the Yandbo Treaty. From then onwards, different areas were annexed by the colonial rulers. These included: upper Assam (under Purandhar Singha) was annexed in 1832; Matak country was annexed in 1842; Khasi states were annexed following Anglo-Khasi war (1829-33); Garo Hills was annexed in 1873. Following the formation of Assam, different areas – hills and plains were included in the province of Assam. Assam, formed in 1874, consisted of hill areas and plain areas – Bramputra and Barak Vallies. This shape of Assam continued until new states, or Union Territories, were made out of Assam at different points of time: Nagaland in 1963; Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur (states in 1972); Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (Union Territories in 1972 and states in 1987).

2. Manipur and Tripura

Manipur shares a border with Nagaland in the north, Assam in the west, southwest with Mizoram, and Myanmar in the south and east. Tripura shares a border with Mizoram and Assam in the Northeast and Bangladesh in the north, south and west. Manipur and Mizoram were native states during the colonial period. Following their accession to Indian Union, they became category C states according to Part C States (Laws) Act of 1950. The central government administered the category C states through Governors or Lt. Governors. Following modification of Part C States (Laws) Act as Union Territories (Laws) Act of 1956, Manipur and Tripura were made Union Territories in 1956. The people in both Manipur and Tripura met the members of SRC during its visit and demanded statehood. Rejecting the demand for statehood as unviable, the SRC suggested the merger of Tripura in the short-run and that of Assam in the long run with the state of Assam. The Union Territories of Manipur and Tripura were made states in 1972 (S.K. Chaube, p. 205).

3. Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram

The state of Meghalaya was made of the three hill districts of Assam – the Khasi hills, the Jaintia hills and the Garo hills. As you have read above, these hills were captured by the British after the Anglo-Khasi war, and they were placed in Assam as its hill districts following the formation of Assam in 1874. Shillong became the capital of Assam had become the capital of Assam at that time. During the 1960s, there had been a demand for the formation of a hill state out of the hill districts, mainly in opposition to the language policy of the Assam government, and dissatisfaction with the provisions of the VI Schedule (which in their opinion did not safeguard their interests adequately). The government appointed the Pataskar Commission (1965-66) under the chairmanship of H.V. Pataskar to look into the demand for a hill state. The Commission recommended the formation of a State of Meghalaya within the state of Assam instead of creating a new statehood. The Parliament passed Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) for Act, 1969. It led to the formation of a new state of “Meghalaya” within the state of Assam. This state comprised the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District and Garo Hills District as defined in the VI Schedule. An autonomous state was created within Assam – “a state within the state” which existed during 1970-72. In 1972, it was elevated to statehood.

Compared to other parts of the Northeast, Lushai hills (old name of Mizo hills) came under the colonial administration much later, in 1989, within five decades. These became part of Assam (Pachuau, Joy L.K. 2014). The Mizo hill district was made a Union Territory, along with Arunachal Pradesh, in 1972. Moreover, in 1987, the Union Territory of Mizoram became a state along with Arunachal Pradesh.

Different Naga-inhabited areas came under the control of the British administration over seven decades. Parts of Naga hills were annexed in 1835 and in 1866; Lotha-inhabited area was annexed in 1875, Ao in 1899, Sena in 1904, Konyak in 1910. Different areas/hills inhabited by Nagas (various tribes) were granted statehood of Nagaland in 1963.

4. Arunachal Pradesh

The state of Arunachal Pradesh was formed on February 20, 1987. The formation of Arunachal Pradesh can be traced to the process of formation of administrative boundaries that began in the second decade of the twentieth century. In 1914, the British administration created North-East Frontier Tract (NEFT). The tract separated hill areas of the then districts of Darang and Lakhimpur districts of Assam in the light of the Assam Frontier Tract Regulation Act, 1880. In 1954, the Government of India renamed North-East Frontier Tract (NEFT) as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) existing within the administrative boundary of Assam state (Jayati K. Patnaik, 2019: fn.1). Following the reorganisation of Assam, NEFA was made into a Union Territory on January 20, 1972. The Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh was converted into a state with the same name on February 20, 1987.

5. Sikkim

Sikkim joined Indian Union as its 22nd state in 1975. Its location is not contiguous with the other states in Northeast India, known as “seven sisters” - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. It is connected with the “seven sisters” through the districts of Cooch Bihar, Jalpaiguri and Siliguri (Darjeeling) West Bengal (See map: p:10). In 2002, Sikkim became the eighth member of the North Eastern Council (NEC), adding to the list of seven states which were already its member. With its inclusion in the NEC, Sikkim has become known as one of the states in the Northeast India region. Prior to its merger with the Indian Union in 1975, Sikkim was a country that enjoyed the status of a protectorate of India according to the Indo-Sikkim Treaty, 1950, signed between the Government of India and the monarch of Sikkim. The merger of Sikkim in India was followed by political unrest there. In 1973, opposition parties and leaders launched an agitation demanding political reforms, including abdication by the monarch. In the final sequence of political developments, the monarch held a referendum in Sikkim, then a country, on the question of the abolition of the monarchy. More than 97 per cent of persons voted for the abolition of the monarchy. This resulted in the merger of Sikkim with India as one of its states.

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