Mainstream WeeklyApril 26, 2026
Three years into the worst episode of ethnic violence, marked by grave allegations of state failure and complicity, in post-independence India, the Central government is preparing to deploy around 100 battalions of paramilitary forces to the north-east, principally into Nagaland and ravaged Manipur.
Declaring on 31 March 2026 that the Maoist insurgency in central India had been defeated after six decades, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the redeployment of battle-hardened Central Armed Police Forces from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, promising to end insurgency in the hills before the 2029 general elections.
Shah described the period since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014 as a golden era for internal security, covering Kashmir and the north-east alongside the defeat of left-wing extremism.
Shah has not indicated how he intends to help the Manipur government resolve the crisis that continues to grip the state