Bomb blast in Assam

There were reports of a bomb blast, derailing four train carriages, 300 km south of Gauhati in Assam on Wednesday.  No one has claimed responsibility.

Northeast militants in Bangalore

The arrest of an important National Democratic Front of Bodoland figure in Bangalore last week was the sixth arrest of an alleged northeast militant in that city in the last two years, leading India Today and local police to consider why such groups choose to operate, at least in part, from Bangalore.

Senapati - Insurgent Sanctuary (SAIR)

The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) of the South Asia Terrorism Portal published a briefing on the Senapati valley of Manipur this week, covering in detail violent events relating to the Kuki and Naga insurgencies in that district over the last decade.

Interview: Naga National Council

Indian magazine Tehelka carries an interesting interview with Naga National Council veteran Thinoselie Keyho covering training in China in the sixties, corruption in present day Nagaland and prospects for reconciliation between the various Naga nationalist groups.

Shades of previous success in arrest of UNLF leader?

As clarity around the circumstances and status of the reported arrest of UNLF leader Rajkumar Meghen remains illusive, KanglaOnline ran an editorial this week pointing out the similarities between this case and the capture of the NSCN(IM) leader in Thailand in 2000, an event that was followed by the signing of a ceasefire agreement between that group and the government of India.

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak Muivah, or NSCN(IM), a Naga nationalist group, was itself in the news this week with sources reporting the arrest of leader Anthony Shimrey while another quoted leader Kihoto Yepthomi  reaffirming the group's commitment to peace.

China's Google Earth claims Arunachal Pradesh

Launched this week, the state-controlled rival to Google Earth in China places Arunachal Pradesh in China's southern Tibet region.  See for yourself here.

Indigenous rights under the spotlight

The Meghalaya People's Human Rights Council raised concerns for the human rights of indigenous people in Northeast India, particularly in relation to human trafficking, at the 15th session of the UN Human Rights Council in September according to The Northeast Today.

BSF head underlines importance of Bangladesh

Speaking at a press conference in Bangladesh, new head of the Border Security Forces (BSF) Pranay Sahaya said this week that peace in the northeast is contingent on further gains against insurgents in Bangladesh, a country in which many such groups maintain camps.

ToI: conflicts in Kashmir and northeast "foreign-inspired"

In a very entertaining editorial on the virtues of Indian improvisation published at the conclusion of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, the Times of India makes a passing reference to the "largely foreign-inspired divisiveness in Kashmir and the north-east".  This statement alone might raise some eyebrows, as no doubt would paralleling Kashmir, the northeast and the Maoist movement with "collapsed footbridges and filthy toilets" in a Commonwealth Games metaphor for independent India.

UNLF leader arrested...maybe

The BBC reported on Wednesday that United National Liberation Front (UNLF) leader Rajkumar Meghen was arrested in Bangladesh and handed to India.  A day later, Manipur-based KanglaOnline quoted an Indian official as saying that the UNLF leader had not been extradited to India and that there had been no official confirmation of his arrest in Bangladesh.

UNLF is a Manipuri separatist group.

Update (18/10): UNLF has confirmed its leader's arrest, according to a Manipuri website, accusing the governments of Bangladesh and India of conspiring to conceal the arrest.

Debating the AFSPA

Lt Gen Yadava, outgoing chief of the Assam rifles, has again made the news, this time arguing for the importance of the Armed Forces (Special Forces) Act (AFSPA) which he says has been politicised.  The AFSPA has been prominent in the news lately with moves for it to be repealed, wholly or partially, in Jammu and Kashmir.  There have been reports today of the Act's extension for six months in parts of both Arunahcal Pradesh and Tripura.

Border Security Force to take over from Assam Rifles on India-Burmaborder

The outgoing head of the Assam Rifles has said that the Indian government intends for the Border Security Force (BSF) to take over guarding the border with Burma.

Northeast rail connected by 2016

The Minister for Railways yesterday announced all northeast Indian capitals would be connected to the rail network by 2016.