Andaman & Nicobar

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago of 572 islands in the Bay of Bengal, form a significant part of India's eastern maritime frontier. Adding nearly 2,000 kilometres to the country's 7,500-kilometre coastline, these islands are not only geographically extensive but also strategically vital. They play a key role in advancing India's Look East Policy and enhancing maritime security in the face of growing regional challenges, particularly China's increasing influence.

History

The Andaman Islands are home to the oldest out-of-Africa migrants – namely the Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese, and Andamanese – whose genetic traces date back approximately 65,000 years. These groups show the least overlap with later migrations into mainland India, such as the Harappans and Steppe migrants. In contrast, the Nicobarese and Shompens belong to Mongoloid stock, which is traced to later migrations (Trivedi et al., 2006).

Palaeolithic tool discoveries and pollen analysis suggest ancient links between parts of the Andamans and Southeast Asia, indicating an even deeper prehistoric context (McHoll et al., 2018). The islands' ecosystems – home to numerous endemic species – are highly sensitive to climate change and tourism, prompting calls for sustainable development (MoEF and UNDP, 2013).

Historically, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have garnered significant attention from various notable figures and travellers, including Ptolemy, Marco Polo, and the Chinese monk I-Ching, as early as the second century CE. However, attempts to establish a colonial base in the late 18th century were thwarted by disease and harsh conditions, leading to the abandonment of the initial settlement (Khan, 2024).

The British period

Despite these setbacks, the British retained interest in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (specifically Port Cornwallis) due to their strategic location along the East India Company’s trading route, which served as a refuge for shipwrecked vessels and sailors (Ghosh, 1955). Interest in recolonising the islands intensified after the Great Indian Revolt of 1857, resulting in the deportation of 200 freedom fighters to the islands in 1858, where they faced extremely harsh conditions (Khan, 2024).

The Great Andamanese, a tribal group indigenous to the islands, began resisting British control to reclaim their ancestral lands. This resistance culminated in three raids in 1859, events collectively known as the Battle of Aberdeen (Khan, 2024).

An incident in Port Blair in 1872 sent shockwaves across the British Empire. Lord Mayo, the Viceroy of India, was assassinated in Port Blair by Sher Ali Afridi, a Pashtun from the North West Frontier Province, who had been jailed in the Andamans (Khan, 2024). During the 1870s, prisoners in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands endured subhuman living conditions, worsened by diseases like malaria, leading to many deaths. Additionally, they were subjected to medical experiments involving quinine, which caused severe side effects and increased distress (Shanks et al., 2009).

To address the growing unrest, the British constructed the infamous Cellular Jail (popularly known as Kala Pani) between 1896 and 1906, intended to imprison hardened criminals and revolutionary freedom fighters. Notable prisoners included Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Sachindra Nath Sanyal (co-founder of the Hindustan Republican Association), and Subodh Roy (of the renowned Chittagong armour raid) (Indian Culture, n.d.). The conditions in Kala Pani were deplorable and inhumane, as documented in Savarkar's The Story of My Transportation for Life.

The Nicobar Islands, strategically located at the mouth of the Straits of Malacca, attracted considerable interest from various European powers by the 18th century due to their critical position in seafaring routes. Over the years, these islands experienced a succession of colonial interests from Denmark, Austro-Hungary, Italy, and Britain, culminating in the British acquisition from Denmark in 1868, which integrated the islands into British India by 1869 (Kaul, 2014).

During World War II, the British relinquished control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, resulting in a takeover by the Japanese, who were initially welcomed by the local population. On December 29, 1943, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Port Blair, hoisting the Indian tricolour the following day (now referred to as Flag Point), renaming the Andaman Islands as Shaheed and the Nicobar Islands as Swaraj. He established the Azad Hind Government, which introduced its land, currency, civil code, and stamps, transforming it from a government in exile to one with actual territorial authority (Bose, 1948).

However, the occupation of the islands by the Japanese and the Indian National Army was harsh and deeply unpopular among the local population, who suffered greatly. Many locals were executed on charges of espionage, numerous women were coerced into sexual slavery, and hundreds were forcibly conscripted to labour on airstrips and other construction projects (Roychaudhury, 2024).

Ross Island had served as the capital of the A&N Islands until a major earthquake destroyed the facilities, after which the administration shifted to Port Blair in 1941. At the time of Indian independence, the British considered four options for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including maintaining them as a Crown colony (similar to Caribbean and Pacific Islands), retaining them directly under Whitehall, or transferring them to Burma, ultimately deciding to incorporate them into India. Meanwhile, Pakistan had made claims on the islands due to their proximity to Dhaka and Chittagong (Kaul, 2014).

Post-independence

After Indian independence, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands experienced an initial wave of migration to rehabilitate refugees from East and West Pakistan. The first post-independence settlement involved the rehabilitation of 198 refugee families from Pakistan in March 1949, followed by continued resettlement efforts through 1961, which brought agriculturists and petty tradesmen from Bengal, Ranchi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and other regions, with land provided by the government (Banerjee, 2024).

Following their integration into India, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were designated as a Part D state, indicating the highest level of direct central government control. Administration was managed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India, who held the authority to enact regulations with the same force as an Act of Parliament, including the ability to modify or repeal laws made by Parliament. Initially, the President nominated the islands' representative in the Lok Sabha, but starting in 1965, this representative was directly elected by the island residents (A&N Administration, 2011).

The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), in its 1955 report, opted against any major changes, choosing to maintain the status quo. Additionally, the report simplified the classification of states, transitioning from a four-tier to a two-tier system under which the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were categorised as a union territory directly administered by the Union government of India, as per The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act-1956.

After being created as a Union Territory, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were administered as a single district. In August 1974, the Nicobar district was separated from the Andaman district. On August 18, 2006, South Andaman district was split from the Andamans, signifying the decentralised administration of this disconnected group of islands (Government of A&N).

Present day

In December 2018, to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose raising the national flag at Port Blair, three popular islands in the archipelago were renamed: Ross Island became Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, Neil Island was renamed Shaheed Dweep, and Havelock Island was renamed Swaraj Dweep (The Hindu, 2018).

In January 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi renamed 21 of the largest unnamed islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees (PIB, 2023).

In recent years, strategic investments have strengthened the region’s connectivity and defence: the Indian Navy’s INS Kohassa base was inaugurated in 2019, a submarine internet cable now links Port Blair to Chennai, and naval collaborations with countries like Japan and Australia continue to increase (Ministry of Communications, n.d.; The Hindu, 2025).

The government has launched eco-tourism plans, proposed ferry links to Thailand, and implemented the 2017 buffer zones rule to protect indigenous peoples from encroachment, while reinforcing India's presence in the Indo-Pacific (Andaman Tourism, 2015).

References

• A&N Administration (2011). Master Plan For Portblair Planning Area - 2030. 

  
  

• Andaman Tourism (2015). Ecotourism Policy Guidelines For Andaman And Nicobar Islands. Andaman and Nicobar Gazette. 

  
  

• Banerjee, R. (2024). Settler Memory and Islanding: An Archipelagic Perspective. Perspectives in Indian Development New Series, 70, Occasional Papers. PMML.

  
  

• Bose S.C. (1948). An Indian Pilgrim.

  
  

• Ghosh, A. K. (1955). The Andaman  and  Nicobar islands (No. Vol XVII; Census of India, 1951, p. 138). Government of India.

  
  

• Government of A&N. Historical Background of Andaman. South Andaman District (n.d.). 

  
  

• The Hindu. (2018, December 30). Narendra Modi renames Ross Island to Netaji Dweep. 

  
  

• The Hindu Bureau (2025). India, Australia agree to deepen interoperability across maritime, land and air domains. The Hindu.

  
  

• Indian Culture (n.d.). Sachindra Nath Sanyal. Government of India. 

  
  

• Kaul, S. (2014). Andaman and Nicobar Islands : India’s Untapped Strategic Assets. Pentagon Press.

  
  

• Khan, M. (2024). Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In The Territories and States of India 2024 (4th ed.). Routledge. 

  
  

• McColl, H., Racimo, F., Vinner, L., Demeter, F., Gakuhari, T., Moreno-Mayar, J. V., Van Driem, G., Wilken, U. G., Seguin-Orlando, A., De La Fuente Castro, C., Wasef, S., Shoocongdej, R., Souksavatdy, V., Sayavongkhamdy, T., Saidin, M. M., Allentoft, M. E., Sato, T., Malaspinas, A., Aghakhanian, F. A.,  Willerslev, E. (2018). The prehistoric peopling of Southeast Asia. Science, 361(6397), 88–92. 

  
  

• Ministry of Communications (2019). Submarine OFC Connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.  

  
  

• MoEF and UNDP (2013). State Action Plan on Climate Change. 

  
  

• (2023). PM to participate in programme to name 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman & Nicobar Islands after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees on 23rd January. PIB.  

  
  

• Roychoudhury, A. (2024, June 15). The forgotten story of the Japanese ruling over (a part of) India. Indian Express. 

  
  

• Shanks, G. D., Hay, S. I., & Bradley, D. J. (2008). Malaria’s indirect contribution to all-cause mortality in the Andaman Islands during the colonial era. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 8(9), 564–570. 

  
  

• Trivedi, R., Sitalaximi, T., Banerjee, J., Singh, A., Sircar, P. K., & Kashyap, V. K. (2006). Molecular insights into the origins of the Shompen, a declining population of the Nicobar archipelago. Journal of Human Genetics, 51(3), 217–226.