In a significant move to address the escalating insurgency and violence in the northeastern region of India, the Central government has declared several Meitei extremist organisations as "unlawful associations" under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The decision, effective Monday, November 13, 2023, aims to combat their "secessionist, subversive, terrorist, and violent activities." The notification, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), states that these organisations have been involved in attacks on security forces, police, and civilians in Manipur, as well as activities detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
The Meitei extremist organisations, including the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing, the Revolutionary Peoples' Front (RPF), the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples' Army (MPA), the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing known as the 'Red Army,' the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its 'Red Army' wing, the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), the Coordination Committee (CorCom), and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK), along with all their factions, wings, and front organisations, have been designated as unlawful associations.
The ban imposed on these organisations will be effective for five years, commencing on Monday. The MHA asserts that the professed aim of these groups is the "establishment of an independent nation by the secession of Manipur from India through armed struggle and to incite the indigenous people of Manipur for such secession."
According to the MHA, the Meitei extremist organisations have been:
- Engaging in activities detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
- Employing and engaging in armed means to achieve their stated objectives.
- Attacking and killing security forces, police, and civilians in Manipur
- Indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion, and looting of the civilian population to collect funds for their organizations
- Establishing contacts with foreign sources to influence public opinion and secure assistance in the form of arms and training for their secessionist goals
- Maintaining camps in neighboring countries for sanctuaries, training, and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition.
The activities of these organisations are considered "detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India" and have been deemed "unlawful associations" by the MHA.
The MHA's notification justifies the ban by stating that if these Meitei extremist organisations are not immediately curtailed and controlled, they will exploit opportunities to:
- Mobilise their cadres to escalate secessionist, subversive, terrorist, and violent activities.
- Propagate anti-national activities in collaboration with forces hostile to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
- Engage in the killing of civilians and target police and security force personnel.
- Procure and introduce illegal arms and ammunition from across international borders.
- Extort and collect substantial funds from the public for their unlawful activities.
The declaration comes in response to the ongoing violence in Manipur, where at least 178 people have been killed and 50,000 displaced since ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023, between the dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki communities in the northeastern state. This ban on the Meitei extremist organizations underscores the government's commitment to restoring law and order, ensuring national security, and countering the menace of extremism in the region.
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