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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Manipur under President rule: Officials say drop in violence; spike in drug seizures
Manipur has seen a notable fall in violence since President's rule was imposed in February, with fewer civilian deaths and injuries, and a rise in drug seizures, officials said on Sunday. Security forces including the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and paramilitary units have also been working to recover thousands of weapons looted from police armouries during the outbreak of violence in May 2023. Despite the relative calm, officials said the recovery of looted arms and the presence of valley-based banned terror groups involved in extortion and petty crimes continue to pose challenges. A recent crackdown on cadres of the Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, accused of inciting violence against the Kuki people, has also contributed to peace in some parts of the state. In a key breakthrough, the Manipur Police and CBI jointly arrested Asem Kanan Singh, a dismissed head constable and prominent leader of the group, along with four associates. Singh was wanted for several offences, including an alleged attack on an Additional Superintendent of Police last year. Following Singh's arrest, the outfit announced it would distance itself from violent street activities carried out in its name. Since central rule began on February 13, only one protest-related fatality has been reported, in sharp contrast to the 260 deaths recorded from May 3, 2023, to the start of President's rule. Injuries have also dropped, with just 29 new cases in the last four months compared to 1,776 since May 2023. There have been no reported incidents of arson or vandalism during this period, against over 17,000 such cases earlier. Anti-drug operations have picked up pace, with 84 people arrested under the NDPS Act. Authorities have seized 24.4 kg of heroin, 25.7 kg of brown sugar, 31.8 kg of opium, and more than 379 kg of ganja since February. The issue of missing firearms remains a concern. While no fresh losses have been reported since February, of the 6,020 weapons initially looted, a large number have been recovered or surrendered. In the past four months alone, 2,390 weapons have been seized, many of them confirmed as looted. Security forces have also demolished 63 illegal bunkers recently, adding to the 548 dismantled since May last year. Efforts to tackle extortion continue, with 336 arrests made in the last four months, out of a total of 601 cases. However, the resurgence of banned groups like the UNLF, PLA, KYKL, and PREPAK remains a concern. Officials said these groups are running extortion rackets and even settling matrimonial and property disputes outside the legal system. Police recently arrested members of one such gang.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Manipur sees drop in violence, rise in drug seizures under President's rule: Officials
Imphal, Manipur has witnessed a significant decline in violence, with a sharp drop in civilian deaths and injuries and a marked increase in drug seizures since the imposition of President's rule in February, officials said here on Sunday. Manipur sees drop in violence, rise in drug seizures under President's rule: Officials Besides, Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and other paramilitary forces are also working tirelessly to recover thousands of weapons looted from police armouries following the outbreak of violence in May 2023, they said. Despite the relative calm, challenges remain for the security forces to recover thousands of lost arms and addressing the activities of the banned valley-based terrorist groups involved in extortion and petty crimes, they added. The recent crackdown on cadres of Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, accused of allegedly engineering violence against the Kuki people and indulging in largescale violence within the valley, has also been helpful in bringing a sense of peace in certain parts of the state, officials said. Recently, a dismissed police head constable of Manipur Police and a prominent Arambai Tenggol leader Asem Kanan Singh and four associates were arrested in a joint operation of Manipur Police and the CBI. Singh was wanted for many cases including an alleged attack on Additional Superintendent of Manipur police last year. After the arrest of Singh, the outfit announced distancing itself from any violent activities being done on the streets in its name. During the period of central rule beginning February 13, only one protest-related fatality has been reported, a stark contrast to the 260 fatalities documented from May 3, 2023, until the enforcement of President's rule, they said. Injuries have also seen a significant drop, with just 29 new cases reported in the last four months compared to a total of 1,776 since May 2023. From February 13 to June 26, the region saw no incidents of arson or vandalism, while cumulative incidents of such nature crossed 17,000 before the imposition of President's rule. In the fight against drug abuse, Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and paramilitary forces have stepped up their operations, resulting in the arrest of 84 people under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act during the central rule period. The security forces have seized 24.4 kg of heroin, 25.7 kg of brown sugar, 31.8 kg of opium, and over 379 kg of 'Ganja', contributing to a stabilisation of the drug issue in the region, officials said. However, the issue of unrecovered firearms continues to pose a significant challenge for the security agencies. Since the imposition of central rule, no new arms have been reported lost from police armouries, but of the initial 6,020 firearms lost, many are understood to have been recovered or surrendered. In the last four months alone, 2,390 weapons were seized out of which many were looted weapons. Moreover, security forces have recently demolished 63 illegal bunkers, adding to the total of 548 that had been dismantled since May 2023. While arrests related to extortion continue, with 336 people apprehended in the last four months out of a total of 601, experts are voicing concerns over the resurgence of banned terror groups, including the United National Liberation Front , People's Liberation Army , Kanglei Yawol Kanba Lup , and People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak . Officials alleged that these groups are running extortion rackets besides indulging in out of court settlements in cases related to matrimonial and property disputes. Manipur Police recently cracked down on such a gang and arrested some people, they added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Manipur's Black T-Shirts
Violence returned to Manipur after a brief lull when security personnel picked up Asem Kanan Singh, the self-styled 'army chief' of Arambai Tenggol (AT), a radical Meitei group, from one of its strategic units in Imphal on the night of June 7. The following day, sleuths of the CBI arrested him at the Imphal Airport and brought him to Guwahati for questioning. The AT lifted its 10-day shutdown across the Imphal Valley on the fourth day after officials assuaged tempers by saying Mr. Singh, a suspended Manipur Police head constable, was not arrested for his AT connection but for involvement in several criminal cases. One of these cases related to arms smuggling in 2020 is almost as old as the AT, which derives its name from a poisoned dart-like weapon (Arambai) used by the troops of the Manipuri kings against Burmese invaders and a cavalry platoon (Tenggol). It was no coincidence that the AT's primary fight turned out to be against the Kuki-Zo people, perceived as 'illegal' settlers from Myanmar with the agenda of grabbing the Meitei domain. Founded by Manipur's titular king and the BJP's Rajya Sabha member, Leishemba Sanajaoba, the group uses the 'Salai Taret' flag, representing seven Meitei clans. It adopted a religious and nationalist rhetoric, invoking the pre-Hindu Sanamahi faith of the Meiteis and envisaging a return to the old glory of the Meitei kingdom of Kangleipak. The group is headed by Korounganba Khuman, referred to by his subordinates as pathou, meaning revered leader. The members of the group, estimated to be 60,000 now, can be identified from their black T-shirts bearing a red insignia of three horsemen charging with weapons. The AT came into discussion in 2022, around the same time the Meitei Leepun — a similar radical group founded by Pramot Singh in 2015 — began drawing attention. Both shot to prominence after the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities broke out in May 2023, but the more organised, aggressive, and armed AT soon pushed the Meitei Leepun into near-obscurity. The AT scored more on optics and alleged intimidation of those not in line with its outlook, apart from the royal patronage it received. The organisation believes its members are like the warriors who once served the Meitei kings, and one of its major oath-taking ceremonies in 2022 was held at Mr Sanajaoba's house. During the initial days of the conflict, AT members were accused of going on a rampage, organising blockades on roads leading to the hills where Kuki-Zo people living in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley fled to, looting arms from the police armouries, and indulging in arson. It was also accused of hounding and killing Kuki-Zo people. Parallel government The group allegedly received the support of former Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh and virtually ran a parallel government during much of the conflict. Kuki-Zo organisations blame the AT, apart from Biren Singh, for the conflict that claimed more than 250 lives. The AT, on the other hand, holds several Kuki-Zo insurgent groups, albeit in ceasefire mode, responsible for starting the fire. This was evident when it summoned two MPs, including Mr. Sanajaoba, and 37 MLAs to Imphal's historic Kangla Fort in January 2024, made them take an oath to preserve the integrity of Manipur and sign a six-point demand to be communicated to the Centre. The AT reportedly assaulted two BJP and a Congress legislator for refusing to sign the document. In a Facebook post before the summoning, the AT said it would consider absentee political leaders as 'enemies of the Meiteis' and would deal with them accordingly. The AT went on the back foot after the President's Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13, days after Mr. Biren Singh quit as the Chief Minister. Soon after, the group surrendered some 300 firearms during a seven-day ultimatum set for wielders of weapons looted during the peak of the conflict. Often compared with Chhattisgarh's Salwa Judum, a government-trained anti-Maoist militia that degenerated into a vigilante movement that went on a killing spree, The AT has often underlined its nationalist outlook, unlike several Meitei extremist outfits, which insist on Manipur's sovereignty. At a traditional annual event in Imphal on April 13, Mr. Sanajaoba stressed this difference to an audience that included muscular 'men in black' belonging to the AT. He said the group was established to 'defend our land, culture, and identity' and that it was not anti-national. 'Our goal is to defend and protect Manipur and India, but we were compelled to take a role we never intended to. Some may say that Arambai Tenggol have surrendered their weapons and are living as civilians. But, at any given time, we will be ready for the call to defend our land,' he said.
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Brooms, not bars: Manipur Police's unique approach for protest management
Imphal, In a novel twist to conventional policing, Manipur Police has traded handcuffs for brooms and shovels, initiating a "community service" programme for dozens of youths detained in various districts of the valley during violent protests since June 7. This unique approach follows the unrest which was witnessed on the streets after the arrest of prominent Arambai Tenggol leader Asem Kanan Singh and four associates during a joint operation of Manipur Police and the CBI as he was wanted in several cases. During the protests, people demanded unconditional release of Singh and others, leading to a 10-day bandh called by Arambai Tenggol, which was eventually called off on Tuesday. Instead of facing formal charges that could mar their futures, over three dozen young people found themselves on the streets, not as rioters, but as cleaners. Leveraging the innovative provisions of the recently introduced Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita , Manipur Police handed them the tools of civic duty – brooms and shovels – to clear the very roadblocks, burnt tyres, and concrete debris they or others had created during the protests. This unconventional move, police officials said, was a deliberate choice to safeguard the careers of these "misguided youths." Widely shared photos and videos show these young people in custody sweeping the roads and cleaning up the mess left over from the three-day protest, creating a powerful picture of justice balanced with a touch of civic duty. The unrest that preceded this unusual policing method was significant. On June 7, widespread agitation erupted across various valley districts following the arrest of Singh, a dismissed head constable of Manipur Police. The accused is wanted in several cases, including the February 27, 2024, attack by armed Arambai Tenggol members on the residence of Imphal West Additional Superintendent of Police Moirangthem Amit. Investigations are also underway into his alleged involvement in drug mafia, vandalising offices belonging to the Deputy Inspector General and Inspector General , an attack on the 1st Manipur Rifles, and arms smuggling. While Arambai Tengol outfit on Tuesday announced that it was ending its 10-day strike call but continuing with their peaceful and democratic manner for pressing their demand of releasing Singh, the outfit distanced itself from any violent activities being done on the streets of the outfit in its name.
Scroll.in
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Manipur relaxes prohibitory orders in valley districts, Arambai Tenggol calls off shutdown
The Manipur government on Tuesday lifted prohibitory orders in Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Thoubal and Bishnupur districts between 5 am and 5 pm, NDTV reported. The separate orders issued by the district magistrates permitted movement of persons outside their homes in daytime provided no activity was carried out to 'disrupt the prevailing law and order' in the area. The orders continued to disallow gatherings of five or more persons and banned the carrying of sticks, stone, firearms and explosive materials in public places. A curfew was imposed on Saturday night in Bishnupur district, and orders prohibiting five or more persons from gathering were implemented in Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal East and Imphal West after a member of armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol was arrested in Imphal West. Internet services had also been suspended in the five districts located in the state's Meitei-dominated valley region. Arambai Tenggol calls off shutdown The Arambai Tenggol on Tuesday withdrew the 10-day Manipur shutdown it had called to protest the arrest of its leader Asem Kanan Singh, The Hindu reported. The group decided to suspend the shutdown to 'lessen the inconvenience faced by the people across the valley', The Hindu quoted the group's Spokesperson Robin Mangang as saying. A team of the National Investigation Agency and the Manipur Police had on Saturday evening arrested Singh, said to be the 'army chief' of the Arambai Tenggol, in Imphal West. Hundreds of residents took to the streets in Imphal West's Kwakithel area to try to stop the police convoy and snatch him from custody. The police opened fire to force the mob to disperse. On Sunday, the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested him for his alleged involvement in criminal activities related to the 2023 Manipur violence, The Hindu reported. Protesters also burned tyres and blocked roads in parts of the state capital, including the Tiddim road and Uripok areas in Imphal West district, demanding that Singh be immediately released. On Tuesday, Mangang added that the group will continue with democratic forms of agitation until their leader is released unconditionally. The police on Monday said that Singh was a head constable when he was terminated from service in March for his alleged involvement in criminal activities including cross-border smuggling of arms. Manipur has been mired in ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities that have killed at least 260 persons and displaced more than 59,000 persons since May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024.
