Insurgency in Manipur
Part of Insurgency in Northeast India

Map of Manipur
Date8 September 1980 – Present[1]
(43 years, 4 months, 1 week and 1 day)
Location
Manipur
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
 India
Multiple insurgent groups[2]
Commanders and leaders
Former:

Rajkumar Meghen  (POW)
Achou Toijamba (KYKL)

Senggoi Meetei (KCP)
R.K. Tulachandra (PREPAK)  †
Irengbam Chaoren
Thang Lian Pau (ZRA)
Thuingaleng Muivah (NSCN-IM)
S S Khaplang (NSCN-K) [1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Strength
1,325,000[10] 1,500
2,500
500 PREPAK
600 KYKL
100 KCP
4,500 NSCN-IM
2,000 NSCN-K[1][3][4]
Casualties and losses
Since 1992
1,081 Killed[11]		 Since 1992
2,895 killed[11]
2,253 civilians killed since 1992[11]
152 unspecified killed since 2000[11]

The Insurgency in Manipur is an ongoing armed conflict between India and a number of separatist rebel groups, taking place in the state of Manipur. The Insurgency in Manipur is part of the wider Insurgency in Northeast India; it displays elements of a national liberation war as well as an ethnic conflict.

Background

Manipur's long tradition of independence can be traced to the foundation of the Kangleipak State in 33 AD. Before that, the land was not unified under a single power. The Kingdom of Manipur was conquered by Great Britain following the brief Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, becoming a British protectorate.[12]

The Kuki Rebellion of 1917–1919 was subdued by the British forces which led to the reorganisation of administration in the hills. Direct administrative control over the hillmen was enforced to prevent any further uprising.[13]

Manipur became a part of India on 21 October 1949. However, only after violent protests, it became a separate state in 1972. Manipur's incorporation into the Indian state soon led to the formation of a number of insurgent organizations, seeking the creation of an independent state within the borders of Manipur, and dismissing the merger with India as involuntary.[1]

During the post-colonial period as ethnic identities became increasingly politicized separating them from cultural context,[14] tribes such as Anal, Moyon, Monsang and Maring who share cultural similarities with the other Kuki tribes, started identifying themselves as Naga.[14][15] This is seen as a milestone for the consolidation of Naga nationalism by United Naga Council and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah.[15]

History

The annexation of Manipur in 1949 led to split in the polity of Manipur. Political organizations such as Manipur State Congress actively campaigned for union with India while organizations such as Praja Sangh and other parties opposed the union.[16] During this time, Hijam Irabot, a leader of the Communist Party of Manipur was in touch with the Communist Party of Burma to arrange for the training of the militant wing of the party, the Red Guards. After Irabot's death the movement split into various factions.[16]

In the second wave of the insurgency, the first separatist faction, known as United National Liberation Front (UNLF), was founded on 24 November 1964. However, they did not take armed action until 1991. Between 1977 and 1980, the People's Liberation Army of Manipur (PLA), People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), were formed, immediately joining the war.[1]

Naga insurgency began in 1980s with the founding of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland. This was followed by the formation of Kuki National Front and the Kuki National Organisation and its armed wing Kuki National Army in 1987 and 1988 respectively.[15]

On 8 September 1980, Manipur was declared an area of disturbance, when the Indian Government imposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 on the region; the act currently remains in force.[1] The provision was lifted in various parts of Manipur in March 2023.[17][18]

The parallel rise of Naga nationalism in neighboring Nagaland led to the emergence of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) activities in Manipur. Clashes between the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang factions of NSCN further aggravated tensions, as Kuki tribals began creating their own guerrilla groups in order to protect their interests from alleged Naga violations. Other ethnic groups such as Paite, Vaiphei, Pangals and Hmars followed suit establishing militant groups. The rise of tribal militias culminated in ethnic violence that took place during the 1990s culminating on the 2023 Manipur violence.[1]

Current scenario

In contrast with the other insurgencies in Northeast India, Manipur-based militants are characterized by a low level of defections and a well organized intelligence network. They have also avoided targeting local police personnel, thus aiming to secure popular support.[1]

Extortion remains the main source of funding for militant groups.[19] Hindu Temples, educational institutions and businesses are known to have been targeted with illegal taxation. As many as 26 permanent tax collection checkpoints have been set up on the NH-39 and NH-53 National Highways. Militants have also resorted to abducting children and later employing them as child soldiers.[1][19] The illegal taxation is done through posts that can be found alongside the NH-39 and NH-53 highways. The taxation is very high compared to the local police excise duties. The effect of these taxations are largely felt by the drivers transporting oil along the highways from Assam to Manipur.

The first suspension of operations (SoO) was signed in 2005 between Kuki militant organizations and the Indian army.[19] In August 2008, a tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) agreement was signed between the Government of India, Government of Manipur and 25 Kuki militant organizations to establish a ceasefire.[20] The agreement lead to a ceasefire and laying down of arms by Kuki militant groups and began the process of negotiations.[19] On 10 March 2023, the Government of Manipur withdrew from the suspension of operations agreement with Kuki National Army and Zomi Revolutionary Front.[21]

From 3 May 2023, Manipur witnessed an ethnic violence which led to a separation of valley and hill areas with purging of Kukis and Meiteis from respective areas.[22] This marked a new era in Manipur's insurgency where the militant groups of respective ethnic communities witnessed a resurgence in membership.[23][24]

List of militant organizations as per ethnicity

Militant organizations in Manipur display ethnic loyalties among a range of other ideologies.[14]

Ethnic-based militant groups in Manipur[14]
Ethnic Group Militant Groups/Factions
Meitei 1. United National Liberation Front (UNLF), 2. People’s Liberation Army (PLA), 3. People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) (The above-mentioned three groups now operate from a unified platform under the Manipur People’s Liberation Front), 4. Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), 5. Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), 6. Manipur Liberation Tiger Army (MLTA), 7. Iripak Kanba Lup (IKL), 8. People’s Republican Army (PRA), 9. Kangleipak Kanba Kanglup (KKK), 10. Kangleipak Liberation Organisation (KLO)
Kuki 1. Kuki National Army, 2. Kuki National Front (Military Council), 3. Kuki Liberation Army (Manipur), 4. Kuki National Front (Kukiland), 5. Kuki Revolutionary Army (Unification), 6. United Old Kuki Liberation Army, 7. United Komrem Revolutionary Army, 8. United Socialist Revolutionary Army, 9. Zomi Revolutionary Front, 10. Zou Defence Volunteer (KNO) 11. Kuki National Front (Samuel), 12. Kuki Revolutionary Army, 13. Kuki National Front (President), 14. Hmar People Convention (Democratic), 15. Kuki Liberation Army (UPF), 16. United Kuki Liberation Front, 17. United Komrem People Council, 18. Zou Defence Volunteer (UPF), 19. Zomi Revolutionary Army, 20. Hmar People’s Convention-Democracy (HPC-D), 21. Hmar Revolutionary Front (HRF), 22. Chin Kuki Revolutionary Front (CKRF)
Naga 1. National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), 2. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang)

Timeline

The following is an incomplete list of events relating to the insurgency in Manipur. Most of these events cannot be independently verified because news journalists usually have very limited access to reaching the areas where the fighting take place.[25]

  • 4 July 2000, 18 insurgents surrendered to the authorities of Imphal in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Nipamacha Singh.[26]
  • 18 September 2001, the Indian military killed 5 PLA members during a shootout in the Khoupum valley, Tamenglong district.[27]
  • 10 February 2003, a KYKL ambush leads to the death of 5 Border Security Force personnel, in Leingangtabi along the Imphal-Moreh road.[26]
  • 16 January 2005, security forces uncovered a PLA camp in Theogtang Zoukanou, Churachandpur district. A total of 76 rifles, 20 small arms, and large amounts of ammunition were seized.[27]
  • 30 June 2005, 5 policemen and 4 PLA rebels were slain in a clash, in Thangjng Ching, Churachandpur district. A radio set, weapons, as well as documentation were confiscated from the dead guerrillas.[27]
  • 17 August 2007, police arrested 12 rebels from the official residences of three Members of the Legislative Assembly in Imphal.[26]
  • 31 November 2010, authorities detained UNLF chairman Rajkumar Meghen, the incident took place in Motihari, Bihar.[1]
  • 15 April 2011, a NSCN-IM ambush resulted in the death of 8 people and the injury of 6 others, the victims belonged to the Manipur Legislative Assembly and the Manipur police. The incident took place in Riha, Yeingangpokpi 12 km from Imphal after the then MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing conference meeting, Ukhrul district.[28]
  • 1 August 2011, 5 people were killed and 8 others injured when National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah rebels detonated a bomb outside a barber shop in the Sanghakpam Bazaar, Imphal.[28]
  • 30 April 2012, 103 rebels belonging to UNLF, PULF, KYKL, PREPAK, KNLF, KCP, PLA, UNPC, NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, UPPK and KRPA and KRF, surrendered before the Chief Minister Ibobi Singh during a ceremony at Mantripukhri in the Imphal West District.[27]
  • 14 September 2013, an IED detonated in a tent housing migrant workers in the city of Imphal, killing at least 9 and injuring 20 people.[29]
  • 20 February 2015, security forces conducted a number of raids in the areas of Wangjing and Khongtal, arresting 5 PREPAK cadres.[30]
  • 23 May 2015, security forces carried out a joint operation in the village of Hingojang, Senapati district. Three rebels were killed, and one was detained after the rebels offered armed resistance.[31]
  • 4 June 2015, guerrillas ambushed a military convoy in Chandel district, killing 18 soldiers and wounding 15 others. UNLFW claimed responsibility for the attack.[32]
  • 9 June 2015, operators of the 21st Para SF Battalion of the Indian army carried out a cross border operation into Myanmar, which resulted in the death of approximately 20 rebels including those who attacked an army convoy on 4 June. Commandos went a few kilometers inside the Myanmar territory to destroy two camps of insurgents hiding there after their attacks in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh on 4 June by NSCN(K) and KYKL outfits.[33][34][35][36]
  • 22 May 2016, rebels ambushed and killed six Indian paramilitary soldiers in Manipur, India near the northeastern region bordering Myanmar.[37]
  • 13 November 2021, rebels ambushed a convoy belonging to Assam Rifles, killing five Indian soldiers and two civilians in Churachandpur district, Manipur. The deceased also included an Indian army colonel and his family. Indian police suspect that rebels belonging to People's Liberation Army of Manipur (PLA) were responsible for the ambush.[38]
  • 2023 Manipur violence — An ethnic clash between the non-tribal Meitei people and tribal Kuki people erupted on 3 May 2023, in Manipur. The violence killed 120 people, and injured more than 3000 people. The violence was accompanied by a resurgence of insurgency groups in the region.[24]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Overview: Insurgency & Peace Efforts in Manipur". CDPS. 26 January 2011. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Terrorist / Insurgent Groups – Manipur". SATP. 22 March 2015. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 "National Socialist Council of Nagaland -Khaplang". SATP. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 "National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Isak-Muivah". SATP. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Zomi Revolutionary Organisation/ Zomi Revolutionary Army". SATP. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "People's Liberation Army". SATP. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak". SATP. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Kangleipak Communist Party". SATP. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup". SATP. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  10. ↑ IISS 2012, pp. 243–248
  11. 1 2 3 4 636 security forces, 773 rebels and 1,341 civilians killed from 1992–2000 according to SATP Fatalities. 445 security forces, 2,122 rebels and 912 civilians killed from 2001–2021 according to SATP Fatalities.
  12. ↑ "Insurgencies in Manipur: politics & ideology". The Hindu. 28 January 2010. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  13. ↑ Kipgen, Seikhohao (19 September 2018). "Keeping them under control: Impact of the Anglo-Kuki War". In Guite, Jangkhomang; Haokip, Thongkholal (eds.). The Anglo-Kuki War, 1917–1919: A Frontier Uprising against Imperialism during World War I (1 ed.). Routledge India. doi:10.4324/9780429431098-12. ISBN 978-0-429-43109-8.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Kom, Ch. Sekholal (June 2015). "Ethno-nationalism: Competing Micro-nationalist Dissents in Manipur". Social Change. 45 (2): 289–307. doi:10.1177/0049085715574192. ISSN 0049-0857.
  15. 1 2 3 Kipgen, Nehginpao (February 2013). "Politics Of Ethnic Conflict In Manipur". South Asia Research. 33 (1): 28. doi:10.1177/0262728013475541. ISSN 0262-7280.
  16. 1 2 Parratt, John; Parratt, Saroj Arambam (2000). "Hijam Irabot and the Radical Socialist Democratic Movement in Manipur". Internationales Asienforum (in German). 31 (3–4): 275–288. doi:10.11588/iaf.2000.31.988. ISSN 2365-0117.
  17. ↑ Singh, Vijaita (25 March 2023). "After 2022, AFSPA further reduced in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland due to improved security situation: Amit Shah". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "AFSPA withdrawn from more areas in Manipur". Imphal Free Press. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Ahanthem, Chitra (2014). The Road to Peace in Manipur: Peace Audit Northeast (PDF). New Delhi: Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. p. 5.
  20. ↑ "MANIPUR: Kuki groups, Centre 2nd round of talks likely on August 17". Hindustan Times. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "What is the SoO agreement with tribal insurgent groups that the Manipur govt withdrew from?". The Indian Express. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  22. ↑ Saikia, Arunabh (20 June 2023). "Reporter's Diary: I crossed 'no man's land' in Manipur". Scroll.in. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Saikia, Arunabh (17 September 2023). "Reporter's Diary: Remembering the slain Manipur policeman I briefly knew". Scroll.in. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  24. 1 2 Saikia, Arunabh (2 September 2023). "The return of Meitei insurgents marks a new turn in Manipur conflict". Scroll.in. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  25. ↑ Ninglun Hanghal. All quiet on the northeastern front: In Manipur, any incident, big or small, leads to a shutdown of mobile Internet telephony. The Hindu. 30 November 2020.
  26. 1 2 3 "Incidents and Statements involving Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup: 2000–2012". SATP. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "Incidents and Statements People's Liberation Army: 2000–2012". SATP. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  28. 1 2 "Manipur: The Slippery Slope, Again". SATP. 16 August 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  29. ↑ "Manipur capital Imphal rocked by deadly bomb". BBC. 14 September 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  30. ↑ "Security forces arrest 5 militants". Sangaiexpress. 21 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "Hingojan victims MNRF, KNF (N) cadres: AR". Manipur Times. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  32. ↑ "UNLFW killed 20 jawans in Manipur: Here's a guide to the newly-formed insurgent group". Firstpost. 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  33. ↑ "Army Conducts Ops Near Myanmar Border, Sources Say Militants Behind Manipur Ambush Killed". 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  34. ↑ "Army strikes back, kills 20 militants 'responsible' for Manipur massacre in Myanmar". Firstpost. 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  35. ↑ Pubby, Manu. "Bold operation by Indian Army: Many militants involved in Manipur ambush neutralised in Myanmar". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "Manipur attack: Indian Army hunts down insurgents along Myanmar border". Zee News. 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  37. ↑ ABC News. "Rebels Kill 6 Indian Soldiers Near Border With Myanmar". ABC News. Archived from the original on 22 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  38. ↑ India: Border state ambush kills five soldiers, two civilians. Al Jazeera. 13 November 2021.
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