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The Nagaland Peace Talks — 30 Years, 600 Rounds, and Still No Accord

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The Nagaland Peace Talks — 30 Years, 600 Rounds, and Still No Accord The Nagaland Peace Talks — 30 Years, 600 Rounds, and Still No Accord By BUGLE  |  June 2026  |  Last updated: June 2026  |  13 min read Where things stand in June 2026: The Government of India and the NSCN-IM have been in formal peace talks since 1997 — nearly three decades. Over 600 rounds of negotiations have taken place. A landmark Framework Agreement was signed in August 2015. And yet, as of June 2026, there is no final peace accord. The talks are not dead — a ceasefire holds and violence has significantly declined. But the two core demands that have blocked a final settlement since 2020 — a separate Naga flag and a separate Naga constitution — remain unresolved. This is the complete story of why. What is in this guide Who are the Nagas and what do they want? The history — from 1947 to the 1997 ceasefire The Framework Agreement of 2015 Wh...
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What Is the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in India?

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What Is the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in India? — Complete 2026 Guide What Is the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in India? — Complete 2026 Guide By BUGLE  |  June 2026  |  Last updated: June 2026  |  12 min read Covers all 4 ILP states — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur — including the December 2024 PAP change for foreigners and the January 2025 Manipur update The short answer: The Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document that Indian citizens from outside certain states must obtain before entering those states. Currently, four states require an ILP : Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur. The concept dates from British colonial rule in 1873. The permit is free or very cheap (₹0–200 depending on state), can be obtained online in minutes, and is usually approved within 24–48 hours. Foreign nationals need a separate, stricter document called a Protected Area Permit (PAP). What's in this guide ...
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Irom Sharmila: 15 Years After Her Hunger Strike — What Changed and What Didn't

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Irom Sharmila: 15 Years After Her Hunger Strike — What Changed and What Didn't Irom Sharmila: 15 Years After Her Hunger Strike — What Changed and What Didn't By BUGLE  |  June 2026  |  Last updated: June 2026  |  11 min read This post is part of BUGLE's ongoing coverage of AFSPA and Northeast India, which began with our three-part Irom Sharmila series in 2011. Where things stand in 2026: Irom Sharmila ended the world's longest hunger strike on August 9, 2016 — after 5,844 days of refusing food while being force-fed through a nasal tube in a Manipur hospital. She married British-Indian activist Desmond Coutinho in August 2017, gave birth to twin daughters in 2019, and now lives quietly in Kerala. AFSPA — the law she fasted to repeal — is still in force in Manipur. The state has, since May 2023, also witnessed its worst ethnic violence in decades, with over 258 people dead and 60,000 displaced. The torch she carried for 16 years ha...
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AFSPA and the Manipur Crisis: A Law That Won't Die and a State That Won't Heal

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AFSPA and the Manipur Crisis: A Law That Won't Die and a State That Won't Heal AFSPA and the Manipur Crisis: A Law That Won't Die and a State That Won't Heal By Arabinda  |  BUGLE  |  June 2026  |  12 min read Tags: AFSPA • Manipur • Northeast India • Human Rights • Irom Sharmila • Indian Civil Rights On this blog, I wrote about Irom Sharmila in 2011. She had then been on a hunger strike for over a decade, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act — a law that had governed her home state of Manipur since 1981. In 2026, fifteen years after I wrote those posts, AFSPA is still in force in Manipur. And now the state has added a new layer of tragedy to its already broken history: over three years of ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities that has killed more than 258 people, displaced 60,000, and effectively divided the state into two armed enclaves separated by buffer zon...
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As we rush through life!

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In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.  During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. About 3 minutes: The violinist received his first dollar.  A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.  About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.  After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over.  No one noticed and no one applauded.  There was no recognition at all. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world.  He...
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