Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh – February 20, 2025

History of Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh

The celebration of Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh on February 20 has its origin in the year the state was granted statehood in 1987. For over three decades running, the state celebrates its statehood in style. The day is a public holiday in the state, and government offices and banks are closed. This gives inhabitants all the time they need to engage in all the events planned for the day’s celebration.

The state is located at the foot of the Himalayas, which gives it its famous, exquisite name. It is bordered by an Indian state and three other countries. Before gaining statehood in the late 1980s, Arunachal Pradesh had been a territory in the Union of India from 1972, comprising other states. The seven states in the territory were famously known as the ‘Seven Sisters.’ Going back to history, the northeastern region of India, where Arunachal Pradesh is located, had seen marked attention from the colonial British. As far back as the late 19th century, the British government began laying its administrative rulings in the region. Between 1912 and 1913, they successfully created what came to be known as North-Eastern Frontier Tracts, consisting of three regions. To mark the territorial distinction, they further drew a demarcation line between the region and Tibet in 1914 — an act that angered China, which saw Tibet under its rule, and in the long run, contributed to the Sino-Indian wars in 1962.

After gaining independence, the Indian government renamed the northeastern region the North Eastern Frontier Agency, and when it began assembling its union, it annexed N.E.F.A. and renamed it Arunachal Pradesh. 15 years after it was renamed, it was granted statehood and officially became a state in the Republic of India.