Manipur chief minister orders security agencies to report on armed groups

Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh chaired a security review meeting on November 3, directing security agencies to prepare a detailed report on armed groups suspected of recent hill-district violence, with a view to possible action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Security review meeting convened

The meeting took place in the cabinet hall of the chief minister’s secretariat in Imphal. According to the Nagaland Post, the chief minister instructed agencies to submit the report so that lawful action could be initiated against any implicated groups.

Background of recent violence

The review was called amid escalating violence in the state’s hill region after the Naga-Kuki conflict resurfaced in February. In the days before the meeting, at least five people were killed in separate incidents in the hill districts of Senapati and Noney. Two of the deceased were abducted by armed miscreants suspected to belong to a Naga armed group. The killing of two Kuki youths after their abduction in Senapati district sparked protests in the neighbouring Kangpokpi district. Although the protests had subsided, tensions persisted as the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Sadar Hill, imposed a total shutdown in the district, leaving hundreds of Imphal-bound trucks stranded along NH-2 beyond Kangpokpi on the Senapati side.

Directions to security agencies

During the review, the chief minister directed security officers to identify active armed groups, excluding those engaged in peace talks, that were suspected of involvement in the recent violence. He asked the agencies to submit the detailed report at the earliest. The chief minister wrote on his social media that “I also made it clear that necessary action would be initiated against any groups continuing to perpetrate violence against the civilian population,” and added that “Such groups would be dealt with under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).”

Attendees and next steps

State home minister Govindas Konthoujam, chief secretary Rajeev Singh Thakur, security advisor Kuldiep Singh, DGP Mukesh Singh, ADGP (L&O) of Manipur police, the commissioner (home), IGAR (S), IGAR (E), IG of CRPF, DIG of BSF, SSB, ITBP, the joint director of IB, senior officers of the central security agencies and officials of the home department attended, while GOC 3 Corps Lt General Girish Kalia participated via video conference. The chief minister’s office indicated that, based on the report’s findings, the state cabinet would consider declaring any implicated groups unlawful if their involvement in violence against innocent civilians was established.