This is a list of proposed states and union territories in India. The constitutional power to create new states and union territories in India is solely reserved with the Parliament of India. It can do so by announcing new states/union territories, separating territory from an existing state or merging two or more states/union territories or parts of them. In addition to the existing 28 states and 8 union territories, several new states and union territories have been proposed. The Indian constitution (under Part I: The Union and its territory) allows certain provisions for the creation of new states and union territories: Name and territory of the union. Admission or establishment of new states. Formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of other existing states. Laws made under articles 2 and 3 to provide for the amendment of the First and the Fourth Schedules and supplemental, incidental and consequential matters. However, at the same time, demanding separate statehood within under the administration of Indian union from an existing state can lead to criminal charges under Secession law in India. Various respected ethnic/linguistic organizations members and leaders since from late 1956 to early 2014, in various separate statehood movements like Telangana movement in Andhra Pradesh, Bodoland Movement in Assam, Punjabi suba movement in East Punjab and Gorkhaland movement in West Bengal, Greater Tipra land in Tripura etc have been arrested, detained and encountered by police under IPC section 124A by the order of Government of India for demanding and asking for a separate state from the existing one. For instance, During the Gorkhaland movement in the late 1986-88, around 1,200 people were killed/encountered by police and dozens were arrested. During Punjabi subh movement, which sought for a separate Punjabi-speaking state way back in late 1960s, have saw as many 200 deaths during 1955 Golden Temple raid and 57,129 have been arrested by police. During Bodoland Movement, around 5,000 people have been encountered by Assam police and 20,000 were jailed since from 1967. In 1966, Indira Gandhi government have bombed Mizoram's capital Aizawl which have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. It was so because they were asking for a separate state. During separate Karbi Land demand in Assam, many people have been encountered and jailed for asking for a separate state. History Before independence, India was divided into British-administered provinces and nominally autonomous princely states, which