TRAVERSING THE CONFLICT ZONE IN THE NORTH-EAST INDIA: THE STATE, THE PEOPLE AND THE VIOLENCE IN TEMSULA AO’S THESE HILLS CALLED HOME

Abstract

The idea of the State cannot be discussed without referring to the violence it accompanies while affirming its legitimacy in a given territorial space. Coercion, as is popularly believed, is a means that is used in cases of extreme inevitabilities when the ideological apparatus has failed to achieve its desired objectives. But, what if the ideological apparatus cannot function in a particular territory as the inhabitants hold on to their cultural roots and identities so strongly? In this case, force is the only option left and the only way out to crush the enemy out of the way-a roadblock in the way of progress, development and nation-building