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Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

The Diplomat

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Were Foreign Nationals and Myanmar Rebel Groups Plotting an Attack Against India?

The arrest of seven foreign citizens under UAPA drew attention to Myanmar-based EAOs and their links to India – but media reports thus far have...

20.03.2026 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

High Demand in India Intensifies Timber Smuggling From Myanmar

Timber worth a whopping $40 million is smuggled from Myanmar to India annually. This is a conservative estimate.

17.03.2026 9

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

‘Forcible Imposition’ of India’s National Song Triggers Resistance in the Country’s Northeast

Some stanzas of "Vande Mataram" refer to Hindu goddesses. India’s religious minorities say it goes against their monotheist beliefs.

11.03.2026 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Destruction of a Lake – a Ramsar Site – in India’s Northeast

Construction activity, effluents and sewage are destroying the Deepor Beel in Assam.

23.02.2026 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

How Political Patronage and Official Apathy Led to Encroachment of Government Land in India’s Border State of Assam

Encroachers belong to different communities, including local groups in some instances, but many are Muslim immigrants from erstwhile East Pakistan and...

03.02.2026 7

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Can China’s Military Actually Fight?

It's one of the most consequential questions in the world today – and no one really knows the answer.

09.01.2026 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

When Nepal Decided to Support Naga Separatists from India in the UN

Declassified British Intelligence documents reveal that in the 1960s, the Nepal government decided to offer support to the Naga separatists’...

09.01.2026 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

If China Invades Taiwan, What Would Japan Do?

Given all that’s at stake, how would Japan respond in a scenario that could lead to the world’s first great power war since 1945?

05.01.2026 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

The Puzzling Death of Indian Singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore

Singapore authorities say there's no sign of foul play. But Indian investigators have framed murder charges against four people.

05.01.2026 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

India Doesn’t Know How Many Foreigners With Expired Visas Are in the Country

The ministry has often resorted to knee-jerk reactions while tackling illegal immigration, best evidenced by its policies in Assam.

18.12.2025 20

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Nagaland Wants Unrestricted Entry of Foreign Nationals to Boost Tourism

Unlike Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram are not opposed to the Protected Area Permit given their concerns over the influx of refugees and rebels from...

10.12.2025 9

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Assam’s BJP-led Government Releases Nellie Massacre Reports Ahead of Elections

The two reports relate to the Nellie massacre of 1983, when mobs attacked villages inhabited by Bengali-origin Muslims, killing over 1,800 people.

28.11.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Rebel Leader Reiterates Demand for Separate Flag and Constitution for Nagas in India’s Northeast

NSCN(IM) chief Thuingaleng Muivah returned home to Ukhrul in Manipur recently after six decades.

03.11.2025 7

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Manipur Lures Drug Traffickers From Across India

Manipur’s border with Myanmar is porous, offering ample scope for cartels to traffic a range of narcotics and contraband items.

04.10.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Indian Railways Achieve Milestone by Connecting Remote Northeastern State

More than 172 years after the railways were introduced to India by the British colonial rulers, Mizoram is on India’s railway connectivity grid.

02.10.2025 6

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Prime Minister Modi Finally Visits Troubled Manipur

The border state in India’s Northeast erupted in violent ethnic clashes over two years ago. Modi’s absence evoked much criticism.

17.09.2025 8

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Bhutan is Becoming Entangled in South Asia’s Narcotics Grid

Its porous border with India, and proximity to Bangladesh, Myanmar and India’s Northeast, which are narcotics hubs, is facilitating the drug trade.

04.09.2025 7

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Bangladesh’s Lethal Gameplan in Myanmar’s Arakan

While the "Rohingya Corridor" plan has been dropped, plans to arm, train and repatriate Rohingya refugees are steaming ahead.

26.08.2025 8

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Government to Issue Gun Licenses to Indigenous Groups in India’s Assam State

The policy will be implemented in Muslim-majority areas, including districts bordering Bangladesh that have seen an influx of illegal immigrants.

11.08.2025 6

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

India’s Northeast Identified as Promising Area for Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals

The Geological Survey of India says that Arunachal Pradesh and Assam are promising zones for graphite, vanadium and REEs.

29.07.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Who Was Behind the Drone Attack Against Indian Separatist Outfits in Myanmar? 

The attack on ULFA(I) camps just across the border can be seen as the fallout of the geopolitical rivalries among many countries – and the way their...

17.07.2025 8

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Why is India Pushing Back Suspected Infiltrators to Bangladesh?

Illegal immigration to India appears to have increased following the collapse of the Awami League regime in August last year.

14.07.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index to be Implemented in Brazil

This is the first time that the Himalayan country’s unique development index is being applied abroad.

26.06.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Floods and Landslides Devastate India’s Northeast Again

State governments, especially in Assam, have failed to implement long-term policies to alleviate people's suffering.

09.06.2025 7

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Indian Security Forces Massacre Burmese Resistance Functionaries

The torture and killing of 10 rebels at Chandel near the India-Myanmar border in Manipur has sent shockwaves through Myanmar’s resistance groups.

20.05.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Why India’s Northeast Frontier is More Vulnerable Than Its Western Border with Pakistan

Conflicts in the Northeast are multilayered and covert, ranging from the political and social to the environmental, and with cross-border linkages.

13.05.2025 8

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Why Are Tokay Geckos Being Smuggled Out of India’s Northeast?

This lizard species, which is valued for its use in traditional medicine in China and Southeast Asia, can earn a smuggler around $70,000 per lizard.

24.04.2025 9

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

‘Right Time For India to Intervene Aggressively In Myanmar’: NUG

The appeal came days before the Indian prime minister met junta leader Gen Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok.

08.04.2025 7

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Conflict in India’s Manipur Takes a New Turn With Intra-Community Clashes

In recent weeks, Meitei militias have clashed, as have Zomi and Hmar groups that came together against the Meitei majority.

28.03.2025 9

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Concept of ‘Greater Mizoram’ Gets a Shot in the Arm From Myanmar’s Spring Revolution

The coming together of areas inhabited by communities in India’s Mizoram and Myanmar’s Chin State has New Delhi’s tacit support. Myanmar’s...

24.03.2025 7

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

President’s Rule Imposed in Disturbed Manipur in India’s Northeast

The move came days after the resignation of the border state’s controversial chief minister.

17.02.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Coal Mine Disaster in India’s Assam Opens Can of Worms

Rat-hole mining is banned by the Supreme Court. But its practice persists under the noses of government officials and politicians.

07.02.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

India Reimposes Restrictions on Foreign Nationals Visiting Three Northeastern States

There have been instances of foreigners engaging in activities considered harmful to national security in the volatile region.

13.01.2025 9

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

India’s Response to World’s Largest Dam in China Faces Local Opposition

Strong protests have erupted in the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh against a proposed “multi-purpose project” envisioned as the country’s...

08.01.2025 10

The Diplomat

Rajeev Bhattacharyya