The states bordering India’s northeast have witnessed at least seven major cases of conflict-induced internal displacement in sixty years. Every state in the region is currently affected by insurgent and terrorist violence, including ethnic conflicts; however, self-determination rather than religious, cultural or economic factors has motivated conflicts in India’s northeast. Unequal tribal/non-tribal and inter-tribal power relations have also played a major role in most of the conflicts. Since ethnic rebel groups are often not equipped to engage each other militarily, much of the violence has been directed against civilians, including Bengali settlers and other non-indigenous communities among the targets. At least 818,200 displaced by 2006. IDMC and NRC, India: Tens of thousands newly displaced in northeastern and central states: A profile of the internal displacement situation, 9 February, 2006, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/D5A6ACF6B233BE34C125711000456617-idmc-ind-09feb.pdf. In addition, IDMC and NRC reported about 215,000 displaced in Western Assam, October 2008, more than 35,000 displaced persons in Mizoram-Tripura, October 1997 and November 2009, and 50,000 in Assam and Meghalaya, December 2010–January 2011. IDMC and NRC, “This is our land” India: Ethnic violence and internal displacement in north-east India, November 2011, p. 3, https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/201111-ap-India-this-is-our-land-sum-country-en.pdf. Added to these numbers are 3,900 conflict-displaced persons in 2020. See following note.) Mining activities have contributed to conflict in the region as well. “Rat-hole mining rampant in Meghalaya despite NGT ban, The India Express (25 December 2018), https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/meghalaya/rat-hole-mining-rampant-in-meghalaya-despite-ngt-ban-5508812/; David Laitphlang, “Rampant illegal coal mining in Meghalya exposed, now illegal coal transportation too,” Hindustan Times, (08 January 2019), https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rampant-illegal-coal-mining-in-meghalya-exposed-now-illegal-coal-transportation-too/story-k2myOL8nJkjfyytvSldjYP.html; “Riverbed mining 2020: East & North East India,” South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (30 October 2020), https://sandrp.in/2020/10/30/riverbed-mining-2020-east-north-east-india/; Karishma Hasnat, “Another year, another mining tragedy — why Meghalaya’s ‘rat holes’ won’t stop killing, The Print (2 February 2021), https://theprint.in/india/another-year-another-mining-tragedy-why-meghalayas-rat-holes-wont-stop-killing/594667/. In July 2020, the Assam government announced an ordinance that would allow the conversion of land for micro, small and medium enterprises to set up industries without the need for any license or clearance, enabling the expropriation of indigenous people’s land. Since 2015, Patanjali, one of the largest businesses in India with annual sales of $1.6 billion in 2018, has acquired approximately 1485.6 hectares of land for industrial development, despite popular protests. “Assam: Illegal mining continues unabated in Karbi Anglong Hills,” NE Now News (22 November 2018), https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam-illegal-mining-continues-unabated-karbi-anglong-hills-adjoining-kaziranga.html; “‘How do we still manage to conveniently walk away from seeing the interconnection of extractive violence, consumption, market, extractive regime, and labour around us?” Vaishnavi Rathore, “In Her Opinion: Dolly Kikon on Resource Extraction in Northeast India,” The Bastion (2 June 2020), https://thebastion.co.in/interviews/in-her-opinion-dolly-kikon-on-resource-extraction-in-northeast-india/.

IDMC, “India Country Information,” New displacements (1 January - 31 December 2020), https://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/india accessed 23 September 2021.

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