Beleaguered Nation

The multi-ethnic state of Assam emerged to be a minefield of conflict and violence over assertions of autonomy in the 1980s. While the Assamese leaders were fighting a battle against the Bengali and the fear of immigrant Muslim domination after independence, one by one other tribal groups challenged the hegemony of the Assamese and broke free from the state: the Naga, the Khasi-Jyntia, the Mizo an...