Unpacking ULFA: Precursors and Paradoxes of an Insurgency in Northeast India

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This paper accounts for the principles and contradictions of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)—a group that tenaciously resisted the state in northeast India. The research traces the precursors of the ULFA’s views, including demands for independence based on perceived neglect by the state and the cultural distinctness of Assam. It argues that despite its demands conforming to the voices from Assam’s past, the ULFA could not become a political alternative or foster a sense of Assamese identity. It concludes that the rise of Hindutva politics has further encroached on the space for ULFA’s vision of Assamese nationalism.