The Act : Outcomes of general policies of Indian state towards northeastern region led by Nehru in 50s

New Delhi, 14 November 2015

The 14th November reminds us as the “Children Day” and educates the people what Nehru had done for the people of the “North East Region”. From Nehru to Narendra Modi, all the Prime Ministers of India have committed to impose AFSPA in the region and have been exploiting people under this law- The Armed Forces Special Powers Act- 1958 (AFSPA-1958). The Present Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi has been travelling around the world and now in London , meeting across the Indian Diaspora communities but he has no time to meet Irom Sharmila Chanu. It shows the hypocritic nature of the rulers of the Indian state without an exception.

14th November reminds us what Nehru did to the oppressed people of India. The first prime minister of India, Mr. Nehru said in the parliamentary debate on 23rd August 1956, says “I should like the house to remember that they should look at this in the larger context of our general policy in these areas, not only in Naga Hills but in the NEFA (Arunachal Pradesh) and neighboring areas. Many of these areas were for the first time brought under some kind of administration during the last six to eight years”(Nehru’s speech: 1953-57: 490).

It shows that Nehru was not only interested in the Naga Hills but wanted a ‘general policy’ for all areas in the Northeast. He further said, “We had to send some of our forces with rifles and we did it without fuss. But we proceeded slowly, because we had the object of winning them over and not merely crushing them. We had of course to shoot some because they shot at us.” He added, “Our instruction is that patience must be exercised because we want to win over these people”, “but make it clear to the hostile that a person who used his gun against us will be met with gun and army can’t be withdrawn” (Nehru’s speech: 23rd August 1956).

Nehru had already presumed that the State was at war with the people of the region. It reflects the content of India’s general policies in the region at that time. He also says “I consider it fantastic for that little corner between China and Burma and India to be called an independent State” (Nehru’s speech).Nehru’s mind and attitude towards the region could be understood from the statement he made on 23 August 1956 two years before AFSPA was passed in 1958.

He says, “It was easy enough to declare martial law and hand over the whole area to the military, but we did not do so because we have been against treating this as purely military problems” (Nehru’s speech).

While Nehru claimed that declaring a military law was “easy enough”, he already knew the danger of military law, “Naturally when armed forces function and have to deal with hostile elements, the civil power’s activities are rather limited”(Nehru’s speech). Nehru thus referred to the entire community of a region, who should have been treated as subjects of the state as “hostile elements’.

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 (AFSPA) is one of the most draconian legislations made by Nehru as a Prime Minister of India in 1958 as a gift to the racially different people of India ( not Aryan and Dravidian) to suppress and oppress the mind and body of the people as a bondage to the martial law called AFSPA.

14th November, the day is not to be a celebration day for the children where sweets are distributed, instead it is the day for condolence as to remember the architect of AFSPA which has been producing thousands of widows, orphanages, survivor of rapes, disappearances and killing of people.

Issued by
Miraj Shah Korimayum
President, Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD)