Manipur: Militant violence
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A backgrounder
1950s- 2023 April
Esha Roy, June 11, 2023: The Indian Express
Manipur has been in the cross-currents of India’s oldest insurgent movements. The Naga national movement in the 1950s and the fight for an independent Nagalim touched parts of Manipur. The NSCN-IM entered a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government only in 1997.
While this movement was raging, the Meiteis in Manipur were also opposing the merger agreement between the Manipuri king, Maharaja Bodhachandra, and the Indian government.
In 1964, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) was formed, demanding secession from India. Subsequently, numerous Meitei insurgent groups, or Valley Insurgent Groups, came into being, such as the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which received arms and training from China. These valley groups operated with a dual purpose – independence from India, and warding off Naga insurgent groups.
The Kuki-Zomi groups were in fact a reaction to Naga aggression against the Kukis. In 1993, a massacre of Kukis by the NSCN-IM left thousands of Kukis homeless. The Kuki-Zomi tribes organised various armed groups after this.
At around the same time, similar clashes were taking place between the Meiteis and Meitei Pangals (Muslims). This led to the formation of the Islamist group People’s United Liberation Front, alongside several others. These groups are no longer active in the region.
Government reaction The Indian government enacted the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in 1958 in reaction to the Naga separatist activity, initially implementing it across Nagaland and parts of Manipur. With the valley movement gathering steam, this Act was then extended to the entire state.
In the 1980s, Manipur was declared a disturbed area. Various peace talks since led to a tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement between the Centre, the state and the Kuki-Zomi groups in 2008.
As the law-and-order situation gradually improved, AFSPA has been repealed from several areas.
The Valley Insurgent Groups have, however, never entered an agreement with the Centre or participated in any peace talks, and technically, remain active.
The Kuki-Zomi insurgent groups
The Kuki-Zomi movement started as defence against aggression by other groups, but quickly morphed into a call for Kukiland – an imagined country spreading across the Kuki-Zomi inhabited areas of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Over time, this was diluted to simply a call for a separate state.
Churachandpur district has the highest number of insurgent groups in Manipur, with 24 operational groups under the SoO. But camps designated by the Indian government dot Kanpokpi, Chandel and Tengnoupal districts along with Churachandpur. These camps house arms safety rooms with a double lock – one key remaining with the camp leader and a second with Indian security forces. The cadres within the camp are armed.
The primary groups in the area include the Kuki National Organisation and its armed wing the Kuki Revolutionary Army, the Zomi Re-Unification Organisation, Zomi Revolutionary Army, the Kuki National Front, the Kuki National Liberation Front, United Kuki Liberation Front and Kuki National Army.
Dominant groups Out of the valley insurgent groups, the UNLF, considered the mother of all Meitei insurgent groups, remained the most powerful till recently. The valley groups sporadically carried out ambushes against security forces and planted IEDs. The UNLF is believed to have received its initial training from the NSCN-IM.
Other powerful groups like the KCP and KYKL emerged over time. They now function out of camps set up in Burmese territory.
Over the years the power of the valley groups has waned. UNLF is now at its weakest, having splintered into three groups due to infighting.
Amongst the Naga groups, the NSCN-IM is the most prominent, with bases across Ukhrul and Senapati districts.
Insurgent groups and politics
The insurgent groups are intricately woven into the daily life in Manipur. From lofty goals of self-determination, they have over the years declined into a more mercenary role – usually on hire for intimidation.
The valley groups, in particular the UNLF, have from time to time called for strikes, like on August 15 or January 26. The Meitei groups have set in stone the valley’s moral code, through ‘rules’ such as a ban on Hindi movies and music, ban on Indian clothing, regulations on what can be shown in Meitei movies, and a ban on alcohol.
The groups, across communities, also levy ‘taxes’ on the public.
But where the groups are most visible today is in the political life of the state. Candidates, cutting across party lines, stand for elections with insurgent backing, and the groups dictate to the voters who should win.
Ahead of the last Assembly election, as parties like the NPP and Kuki People’s Alliance started gaining ground in Churachandpur, a directive from the KNO president to vote for the BJP swung the electorate in the party’s favour.
