Conflict and Youth Rights in India

Transcription

1 Conflict and Youth Rights in India

2 Haans J. Freddy Conflict and Youth Rights in India Engagement and Identity in the North East

3 Haans J. Freddy Department of Political Science Madras Christian College Chennai, India ISBN DOI / ISBN (ebook) Library of Congress Control Number: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: Pattern adapted from an Indian cotton print produced in the 19th century Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore , Singapore

4 To My Beloved Father Dr. K. John Freddy

5 FOREWORD Dr. Haans J Freddy, a gifted researcher with a moral and empirical sensitivity, was my student for five years both as an undergraduate and post-graduate student in Political Science in Madras Christian College, Chennai, India. Incidentally, I was a student of his father, the late Mr. John Freddy in Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, Chennai, whose flair for English was remarkable and who was highly respected. A lifelong learner, Dr. Haans obtained an ICSSR fellowship to pursue post-doctoral studies and I was privileged to be his guide. Hence, my long-standing association both at the personal level and with his academic endeavours justifies my happiness and pride in writing this foreword. His latest book, Conflict and Youth Rights in India: Engagement and Identity in Northeast, is a treasure for political scientists, sociologists, human rights activists, researchers working in northeast India and more generally for the youth of India. This book integrates insights on the social and emotional characteristics of the youth in India and specifically those in the northeastern states. The book provides valuable information about the unstable period in the life of an individual between childhood and adulthood and highlights both the personal aspect of the youth, like biological maturity, and the social aspects, such as the changing relationships, work, leisure and many more. Social exclusion, minority syndrome, insurgency and ethnic rivalry have given rise to new methods of militant activity and pose ever-changing threats in northeast India. Poor governance and lack of economic development have transformed militant outfits into terrorist entities. In this vii

6 viii FOREWORD new age of global interconnectivity and interdependence, it is necessary to provide assurance for youth that their visions and dreams can become a reality. This book is a good step in that direction. This book is primarily designed to assist educators, policy-makers and social activists who are interested in finding a way to end the conflict and to restore the rights of the youth in northeast India. The book is significant in the sense that it brings to prominence the neglected aspirations of youth and their forced role in the conflict in northeast India. This book is a compendium of concrete examples for integrating northeast India with India at large. After establishing a theoretical foundation, the book attempts to identify youth rights, the conflict in northeast India, examines the participation of the youth in that conflict and specific rights of youth in northeast India. The three main criteria for essential for development the youth of northeast India namely, Survival, Acceptance, and Dignity are thoroughly analysed. I am very sure that the reader will be guided systematically to understand the issues of the youth and their larger implications in the northeast India. Youth have not only been agents of socio-economic change, but they have also been victimized in war and manipulated to become combatants. The reader will encounter reflective thinking with regard to youth rights in general. The book can be seen as a manual for youth rights in northeast India. It could also provide a road map of a new northeast India that fosters positive developments in the fields of education, infrastructure, industry and tourism. Madras Christian College S.D. Christopher Chandran

7 PREFACE It has been a privilege for me to write this volume. What started off as a brief engagement with the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development a premier organization of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, through a Lectureship in the Institute became an inspiration for writing this volume. This volume is the outcome of a postdoctoral fellowship granted by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. Youth studies have in recent times received considerable importance. With debates surrounding on the flexibility of the concept of youth, many scholars have contributed to understanding of the period of youth both as a biological and sociological construct. Youth who are generally considered as the future generation and when research on them has advanced our understandings of the concept, it has placed on them a variety of issues which can be of importance for their development. This volume captures a variety of issues which arise due to the problems faced by youth. It raises the question of youth rights in the context of north-east India. The chapters in this book examine the concept of youth where definitions and the concept of youth is examined in detail. Youth rights which are of utmost importance for the successful transition into adulthood is given priority while examining the conflict in north-east India. Youth rights are the rights of young people. It is an important concept in movements responding to the oppression of young people, with advocates of youth rights promoting youth participation, youth/ adult partnerships, and achieving ultimately, intergenerational equity. The need to increase attention and concern on the rights of youth is ix

8 x PREFACE beyond controversy. The rationale for making a convention on the rights of young people has been increasingly debated with some in favour and others against it. Current challenges to ensuring the access of youth rights stem from these debates and overarching questions. Examining these debates and questions, there seem to be some issues relating to youth rights which need to be answered definitively. While there are specific instruments which cater to the needs of children, women, physically disabled, etc., there seems to be one aspect which has not received much attention Youth Rights. Although there have been some efforts towards better protection and enhancement of youth rights, yet it is still under represented in the debates which surround human rights. More particularly youth rights in the context of conflict situations require attention as it is in those situations that their rights are severely infringed upon in many ways. This volume seeks to introduce to the reader why youth rights are important and need to be taken into consideration and how young people in conflict situations are denied their specific rights. In the chapters that are in this book, an effort is made to provide theoretical explanations as to why youth participate in conflict using the binary of the greed and grievance perspectives. In this context, the case of north-eastern India is very interesting where the region has experienced armed conflict which has been in many cases termed as low intensity conflicts, where youth play a significant role in insurgent movements in the region. Interestingly many of the insurgent movements in north-east India were predominantly started by youth who were dissatisfied with state policies which were adopted towards the region in the post independence era of the Indian state. The book also provides a brief overview of the conflicts in north-east India where the cases of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur are examined to explain insurgent movements in the region in which youth have engaged in the conflicts to a large extent. North-east India has been examined by most scholars as a theater of insurgency and conflict. However, numerous studies which have been conducted in this context have ignored the concept of youth while analyzing such conflicts. Youth in north-east India have played a significant role in the conflict and there has not been much effort made in this direction to understand their motives to engage actively in the conflict. Youth in this region have joined rebel organizations or insurgent groups in order to confront the state to achieve some form of redressal towards the grievances which are present among the people of north-east India. On the other

9 PREFACE xi hand they have joined insurgent groups to demand secession from the Indian union. This book is an attempt to briefly understand and analyze the role youth have played in conflict and the consequences of conflict over their rights in the region. Thus, the book offers an alternative lens to understand the conflict in north-east India. The chapters in the book are arranged to understand the concept of youth and its importance and the idea of youth rights. It also provides a brief overview of conflicts in northeast India which has survived over five decades despite the Indian government s efforts to establish peace in the region both through military force and through negotiations with insurgent groups. Further, it moves into examining youth participation in conflict in north-east India where causal explanations are provided. It then examines youth rights in the region and finally concludes with a few suggestions drawn from earlier models which had been framed and initiated with regard to those regions specific needs could be adopted in similar ways. Haans J. Freddy

10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to the LORD JESUS for his love and support during a very difficultphaseofmylife that I went through while writing this book. I extend my sincere thanks to my father, the late Mr. K John Freddy, who was my source of inspiration for writing this book. A sincere note of thanks also goes to the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, which generously provided me with the grant for the project through a Post-Doctoral Fellowship. I owe a special word of thanks to Ms. Sara Crowley Vigneau for taking an interest in this work and bringing it to Palgrave MacMillan. My sincere thanks to Dr. C. Joshua Thomas, Deputy Director, Indian Council of Social Science Research-North Eastern Regional Council, Shillong, for all his kind words of encouragement and support through his centertowardsthisproject. A special mention has to be made of Dr. Lawrence Prabhakar Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, who encouraged and supported me immensely while writing this book. I am grateful for the kind response of my friends as well as those strangers I met while writing this book. I would like to especially thank Dr. K. Debbarma, Dr. R. Borgohain, Prof. B.J. Deb, Dr. Biju Kumar, Dr. Thongkholal Haokip, Dr. Hariharan, Dr. A. Subramanian, Dr. K. Palani and Dr. S.D. Christopher Chandran. A sincere word of thanks to Dr. Allen J. Freddy for his kind words of encouragement, love and support. My Mother, who was a great source of support and encouragement, needs a special note of thanks. xiii

11 xiv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Words do not suffice to express my sincere gratitude to my wife K Liu, who supported and encouraged me through the long hours of work away from home. And to my sons Raphael and Zacchaeus, who have always been a source of happiness in difficult times a big thank you.

12 CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 Understanding Youth Rights 13 3 Conflict in Northeast India: An Overview 25 4 Youth Participation in Conflict in Northeast India 41 5 Youth Rights in Northeast India 57 6 Conclusion 69 Bibliography 75 Index 87 xv

13 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS UN United Nations NNC Naga National Council NSCN-IM Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland/Nagalim-Isak and Muivah NSCN-K National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Kaphlang NER North Eastern Region NEC North Eastern Council PLA Peoples Liberation Army KNA Kuki National Army ULFA United Liberation Front of Asom BLTF Bodo Liberation Tigers Front US United States ILO International Labour Organization WPAY World Programme of Action for Youth UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child AYC African Youth Charter AUC African Union Commission OIJ Judicial Investigation Organization AFSPA Armed Forces Special Powers Act UNLF United National Liberation Front PREPAK Peoples Revolutionary Army of Kangleipak AASU All Assam Students Union AAGSP All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad NDFB National Democratic Front of Bodoland BLT Bodo Liberation Tigers BTC Bodoland Territorial Council xvii

14 xviii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IBRF NDFB-S NDFB-RD NDFB-P KLNLF NSCN-KK UPF KNO MOU URF KCP-L KYKL AMSU ANEFASU APSU ANSAM KSU NPMHR NSF UCM ATTF UNESCO MDG Indo-Burma Revolutionary Front National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Songbijit National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Ranjan Daimary National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Progressive Karbi Longbri North Cachar Liberation Front National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khole Khitovi United Progressive Front Kuki National Organization Memorandum of Understanding United Revolutionary Front Kangleipak Communist Party-Lamphel Kanglei Yawal Kanna Lup Adi Mishing Students Union All North Eastern Frontier Agency Students Union Arunachal Pradesh Students Union All Naga Students Association Manipur Khasi Students Union Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights Naga Students Federation United Committee of Manipur All Tripura Tiger Force United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Millennium Development Goals

15 LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 4.1 Causes for youth participation in conflict in northeast India 46 Fig. 4.2 Means through which youth engage in conflict in northeast India 47 Fig. 5.1 Problems faced by youth in northeast India 64 xix

16 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Peace accords in northeast India 31 xxi