Separatist Movements in India

In the first years of India's independence many predicted that India, because of its diversities, will not survive as a single state, but will break up into separate states. Since India's independence in 1947 there were many attempts by different communities in India to establish independent countries on Indian soil using terror and other means, but so far India remains united country.

In Kashmir, in north India, there were organizations and underground organizations which demanded first to attach Kashmir to Pakistan and later on started demanding an independent Kashmir state. In Punjab, to the south of Kashmir, the Sikhs demanded an independent Sikh country to be called Khalistan.

In north- east India, there were many demands for separate states by different groups. North -east India was, during British period, province of Assam. In this region which borders China, there are many communities which are referred to under Indian law as tribes. These tribal people have Chinese appearance and speak in languages from the Sino-Tibetian family. Since India's independence, many tribal communities in this region, in the beginning with Chinese support, tried to establish independent states apart from India. In the 1960s rebellions from Mizoram region even declared independence. The Indian army suppressed these rebellions in this region and the rebellion leaders signed peace treaties with the Indian government. The Indian government created autonomous states for the different tribes in this region within the Indian Union. These states were created by detaching parts from Assam. This action including other actions some Indian governments took in Assam, caused discontent among the Assamese and they also demanded to separate from India. In the 1980s there was even a terror organization which included rebellions from the seven north east Indian states and they worked together against the Indian government.

In south India, before India's independence there was a demand for an independent Dravidstan for the whole of south India. After India independence, this demand was mild down for autonomous Dravidian states within the Indian union. But the Tamilians who emigrated from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka demand an independent state in north Sri Lanka and it is presumed they receive lot of support from Indian Tamilians.