Eleven militants have been arrested in Manipur in the last two days, including seven suspected militants of the Kuki National Army (KNA), the police said on Sunday. The KNA is a signatory to the controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement. The suspected KNA militants were arrested from Old Khaukual area in Churachandpur on Friday, the police said.
In another operation on Saturday at Huikap village in Imphal East district, four members of the Meitei militant group Kangleipak Communist Party (People's War Group), or KCP(PWG), including two women were arrested, the police said. They were found carrying two AK assault rifles, pistols, ammunition, incriminating documents and booklets, the police said.
Following the imposition of President's Rule with the house in suspended animation (assembly not dissolved), the security forces have been carrying out operations across the state to dismantle bunkers and disarm people from both sides who call themselves village volunteers.
The Kuki tribes are calling for the arrest of Arambai Tenggol chief Korounganba Khuman, alleging he heads a radical Meitei outfit. The Meiteis have pointed back at hundreds of Kuki youths carrying assault rifles under numerous banners of 'volunteers', who the Meiteis say are infested with highly trained Kuki militants.
What is clear, however, is civilians from both sides cannot carry weapons like assault rifles under the name of volunteering, police sources said, adding the President's Rule will ensure all are disarmed.
The frequency of arrests - at least those announced by the police on X (formerly Twitter) - has increased in recent weeks.
The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.
Some 24 Kuki-Zo militant groups come under two umbrella organisations for the purpose of negotiations - the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) led by the KNA, and the United People's Front (UPF) led by the Zomi Revolutionary Army. The KNO and the UPF representing all the others have signed the SoO agreement with the Centre and the Manipur government. Under this agreement, the militants are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly.
The state government has been demanding to end the SoO agreement over allegations that SoO-linked militants have been taking part in the Manipur violence, as also militants from several banned Meitei groups that had nearly been eradicated from Manipur in the last 10 years, only to return from their hideouts in neighbouring Myanmar after the breakout of ethnic clashes in May 2023.
The SoO agreement is reviewed by a joint monitoring group every year; its last review was in February 2024, but little is known about the current status of the agreement.
On 14.02.2025, Security Forces conducted area domination and patrolling in general area south of village Old Khaukual under Sangaikot-PS, Churachandpur District. During the operation, the following persons were arrested along with arms, ammunitions and other items. The arrestees... pic.twitter.com/FuwkaAtnG7
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) February 15, 2025
The KCP - before several versions of it mushroomed - is among the eight Meitei militant groups in the Home Ministry's list of banned organisations.
The KCP(PWG) is likely being used as "hired guns" to attack civilians and carry out extortion in the valley areas to keep tension simmering, state intelligence sources had told NDTV in December 2024 based on early investigation. They declined to say who hired these militants to create terror in the valley areas, citing the investigation was at an early stage.
The security forces will intensify operations to disarm people from both the warring communities and dismantle all illegal fortifications, the police said.
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