Guns and guys in the jungle; news and terrorism in north-east India

This article examines representations of terror in north-east India on state and privately owned television channels. North-east India sustains many subnational insurgencies against the Indian state. Most of these separatist movements, which are a response to structural and cultural inequalities, have faced brutal military repression. The article looks at the silences and absences surrounding the use of terror in the region on the state-owned broadcaster, Doordarshan. It contrasts this with the surge in representations of terror (perpetuated both by the Indian army and by insurgent groups) on privately owned national television networks. While stories of terror are considered newsworthy by private channels the region does not otherwise receive regular coverage as it is generally regarded as culturally remote and politically insignificant. Regional television enterprises operating in local languages, on the other hand, are often able to achieve a more complex representation of issues around the use of terror by state and non-state actors.

The article critically examines the aesthetics of terror constructed both by state-owned television and privately owned media. State-owned television's representation of terror, it is argued, tends to lobby for a particular point of view one that emphasizes the authority of particular figures and symbols of the state. The local media offers a more nuanced picture of terror but has received a mixed response from the public. It has, however, encouraged people to question violent political means and exclusive identities thereby promoting the growth of civil society in the region.