The “divide and rule” policy adopted by the British did a lot of damage to the tribal community of India. The British has superimposed their own administrative patterns in tribal areas and deprived the tribals of their traditional methods of interacting with people. The “Criminal Tribes Act” which the British had introduced gave an impression that the tribals were either “criminals” or “anti-social beings”. The tribal groups such as Kolis, Mundas, Khasis, Santals, Nagas, etc, who fought against the British were branded as “dactoits” and “robbers”. The British government which wanted to humble these tribals and “correct” them gave direct encouragement to the foreign Christian missionary activities especially in the Central and the North-Eastern Zone. These activities which went on for more than 200 year, alienated many of the tribal and developed in them separatist tendencies. Relations between the tribal and non-tribal have started worsening. In states like Mizoram, Ngaland, Meghalaya, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh, demand for separate state for tribal took the shape of insurgency, revolt, terrorism and so on. Neighbouring countries which are unfriendly to India, have instigated the tribal to rebel against the establishment. They have exploited the anti-Indian sentiments of the tribal to their advantages.
