ABSTRACT
The relationship between the state and the people had and continues to be contentious across the world as the former is susceptible to be become autocratic or despotic, breaking the very social contract that gave it the legitimacy to govern. The disciplinary techniques to address the violation of this contract are inherent in the civil society that the state is ordered around. The two sites of counter-conduct reveal the types of state at power in Nagaland and Manipur. The official state of Nagaland is deeply entrenched in malpractices yet immune to disciplinary measures through the assertion of its authorial power. The emergence of the ACAUT and JACAATB was due to people's disenchantment with the states as the governments were turning autocratic in their exercises of power. The two issue-based bodies were formed through the concerted efforts of the students’ bodies, private individuals, and organisations to advance the general interest of the citizenry or the interest of certain minor communities.
