This book maps the evolution of India's North East into a constituent region of the republic and analyses the perpetual crisis in the region since Independence. It highlights how land, language and leadership issues have been the seed of contention in the North East and how factors like ethnicity, ideology and religion have shaped the conflicts. It also throws light on the major insurgencies, internal displacements, protest movements and the regional drug and weapons trade in the region. It examines 'the crisis of development' and the evolution of the polity before offering a policy framework to combat the crises.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [282]-289) and index.

India's north east : frontier to region -- Ethnicity, ideology and religion -- Land, language, and leadership -- Insurgency, ethnic cleansing and forced migration -- The foreign hand -- Guns, drugs and contraband -- Elections, pressure groups and civil society -- The crisis of development -- The road ahead.