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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2022/Paper II/Ethnicity, Tribal Movements & Social Change
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2022 20 Marks Model Answer Available

Tribal Movements in North-East and Central India — 2022 Paper II

Question · 2022 · Paper II · 20 Marks

Compare the nature of tribal movements between North-East and Central India. Briefly mention the current status of existing tribal movements in these areas.

Model Answer

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Approach

Demand of Question: Compare, not merely list, the historical bases, goals, social composition and political trajectories of tribal movements in the North-East and Central India; then update their status to August 2026.

Structuring the Response: Set up frontier versus non-frontier contrast; compare identity/territory/autonomy with land/forest/class-resource mobilisation; use Naga/Mizo and Jharkhand/Munda/LWE examples; finish with verified current status and an anthropological synthesis.

Key Dimensions to Cover: IGNOU frontier/non-frontier distinction; Naga, Mizo, Khasi/other autonomy movements; Jharkhand, Santhal/Munda historical resource struggles; ethnic nationalism versus agrarian/resource conflict; statehood and accords; 2015 Naga Framework Agreement still unresolved in Aug 2026; February 2026 ENPO FNTA Agreement; sharp decline in LWE violence by mid-2026 but persistent structural grievances.

Model Answer

Introduction: Tribal movements in India commonly defend identity, territory and resources, but regional histories shape their form. North-Eastern movements developed more strongly around ethnic nationhood and political autonomy; Central Indian movements more often arose from land alienation, forest control, labour exploitation and unequal development.

Analytical frame: K.S. Singh’s studies of tribal movements show that apparently “ethnic” mobilisation often combines cultural identity with material grievances. The useful distinction is therefore one of dominant political form—shaped by "frontier" versus "non-frontier" geographies—not an absolute separation between identity and resources.

North-East: Many hill communities occupied relatively compact territories, possessed customary political institutions and in several areas formed demographic majorities. Frontier administration and weak integration with plains institutions encouraged political claims framed as relations between an ethnic people and the State. Naga mobilisation moved from the Naga National Council to insurgency and later negotiations; the Mizo movement similarly demanded sovereignty before the 1986 Accord and Statehood. Other mobilisations sought Autonomous District Councils, new States or territorial autonomy. Language, Christianity, customary law and cross-border ethnic ties often reinforced collective identity.

Central India: Tribal groups were generally more interspersed with caste populations, landlords, traders and forest-mineral frontiers. The Santhal Hool and Birsa Ulgulan were anti-diku (anti-outsider) struggles rooted in land, revenue and resource control. The Jharkhand movement later combined tribal identity with a wider regional coalition and achieved Statehood in 2000. In parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, Maoist mobilisation drew on grievances over land, forests, displacement and governance, though its ideology and membership were broader than tribal movements.

Comparison:

  • Social base: North-East—territorially concentrated ethnic communities; Central India—tribes embedded in multi-ethnic agrarian/mineral regions.
  • Dominant demand: North-East—autonomy, sovereignty and federal restructuring; Central India—land, forest, anti-exploitation, development and regional Statehood.
  • Organisation: North-East—ethno-national bodies and armed groups; Central India—agrarian movements, regional parties and, in some belts, Maoist organisations.
  • State response: North-East—Statehood, councils, ceasefires and accords; Central India—protective laws (PESA/FRA), welfare programmes and counter-insurgency.

Current status to August 2026: The Mizo insurgency remains a successful negotiated settlement. The Naga issue is still unresolved despite the 2015 Framework Agreement, though talks were elevated to a Ministerial-level committee in mid-2026 to break the deadlock. However, autonomy demands have seen success; in February 2026, a historic tripartite agreement was signed to create the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) for the ENPO region. In Central India, Left-Wing Extremist violence has collapsed. According to Ministry of Home Affairs data from July 2026, LWE incidents fell to just 33 for the year, and the active "Red Corridor" has functionally shrunk to just two districts (Bijapur and West Singhbhum), although civil society grievances over mining and FRA implementation remain.

Conclusion: North-East movements are best understood through frontier ethnicity and nationhood; Central Indian movements through resource alienation and regional inequality. Durable integration requires political accommodation plus meaningful control over land, resources and local governance.

2026 Tana Bhagat movement. 2026 Kumar Suresh Singh's contribution in studying tribal movements. 2026 Discuss the impact of Christianity on the tribal population of Jharkhand. 2025 Regionalism and Autonomy

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