Manipur crackdown: 5 Arambai Tenggol members held, more arrests expected
Five members of the Meitei group Arambai Tenggol have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a civilian and the assault on two police personnel, people aware of the matter said on Monday, and added it was part of an ongoing crackdown in the ethnic violence-hit Manipur.
The people said the three Huidrom Somokanta Singh, Huidrom Dipak Singh, and Thingujam Ranjit Singh were produced before a magistrate and remanded in seven-day police custody. Police said others involved in the case were being traced.
On June 12 and 13, two Arambai Tenggol members were arrested for their alleged involvement in a mob attack on June 9 that left additional police superintendent Wangkhomba Okramcha injured.
The arrest of five Arambai Tenggol members, including Kanan Singh, this month over their involvement in the violence in the state triggered the latest wave of unrest in Manipur. Hundreds of protesters resorted to arson and threw stones at security forces as the news of the arrest broke. The Arambai Tenggol demanded their immediate release and announced a 10-day shutdown, which was called off four days later.
Kanan Singh was dismissed from the police force this year over his alleged involvement in smuggling weapons and looting armouries. The authorities suspended broadband and mobile data services in Imphal East and West, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur, saying some 'anti-social elements might use social media' to incite the public in the aftermath of Kanan Singh's arrest.
A curfew was reimposed in Bishnupur for the first time this year. The movement of people in the valley districts was restricted due to apprehension of a breach of peace.
The protracted violence between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur was triggered in May 2023 and has left around 250 people dead and thousands displaced. Meiteis live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis in the hills. They have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. The groups have since 2023 set up road blockades on highways to restrict each other's and the movement of essential items between their strongholds.
A Manipur Police statement said 'multiple militants' belonging to banned outfits have also been apprehended in the ongoing crackdown in the state. Authorities said further arrests are expected in the coming days.
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