"Shun Violence, Respect Constitution": Manipur's Arambai Tenggol On Protests Against "Free Movement"

The central government's initiative towards resolving the Manipur crisis must be respected by all, and it is everyone's duty to support the authorities in this effort, the Arambai Tenggol (AT) said in a statement today.

People in some areas in Manipur categorised as hill districts and where over a dozen tribes collectively known as Kuki live have gone against the Centre's order to allow free movement of people on state roads and highways.

The Kuki tribes have called a shutdown in these areas to push for a demand for a separate administration carved out of Manipur, currently under the President's rule.

They say there can be no free movement and no internally displaced people can return home unless the Kuki tribes are granted a separate administration cut out from Manipur, a demand the Meiteis say is non-negotiable since it will harm Manipur's "territorial integrity", and also put a chokehold in the valley region as all roads pass through the hills.

The Meiteis say free movement of people and talks can happen simultaneously, pointing at the need for relief for those who have suffered immense hardships.

"Arambai Tenggol believes it is the responsibility of every citizen of India to respect and uphold the Constitution. Let us all come together and support the central government's efforts to bring normalcy and development in Manipur," the AT said in the statement.

The AT, comprising members of the valley-dominant Meitei community, says it is a cultural organisation that was compelled to take up arms as "village volunteers" due to ineffective law enforcement in the early days of the ethnic violence; it says lack of law enforcement led to Meitei villages in the foothills coming under attacks from Kuki militants.

The AT commended Union Home Minister Amit Shah for working to restore religious places that were damaged and vandalised when ethnic clashes broke out in May 2023.

"The ongoing crisis in Manipur has caused great unrest and turmoil in the state. It is a matter of grave concern, not only for the residents of Manipur but for the entire nation... Furthermore, we want to convey a strong message to Kuki narco terrorists and illegal immigrants who are disrupting the peace and harmony of Manipur. It is time to shun violence and respect the Constitution," the AT said in the statement.

Many AT members including its chief Korounganba Khuman are named as accused in police cases and those being handled by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The AT says it has handed over all weapons to the security forces, as ordered by Governor AK Bhalla recently.

Two dozen militant groups of the Kuki and other kindred tribes that signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state, their politicians and frontal organisations called the shutdown after many Kukis were injured in action by security forces while trying to clear road blockades in Kangpokpi district.

Vehicles with supplies reached Kuki-dominant Churachandpur without incident.

The demand for an ethnocentric homeland is untenable and obsolete in Manipur, where at least 35 communities co-exist, a group of activists and academics from the state said at a side event of the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva in October 2024.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his council of ministers resigned on February 9, after which the Governor placed the assembly in suspended animation, or MLAs active but without powers, following the imposition of the President's rule.