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.
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. [13]
The Kuki Rebellion of 1917–1919 was subdued by the British forces which led to the re-organisation of administration in the hills. Direct administrative control over the hill-men was enforced to prevent any further uprising. [14]
Manipur became a part of India on 21 October 1949. However, only after violent protests[ citation needed ], it became a separate state in 1972.
The road to the statehood of Manipur has been violent. On October 23, 1969, when Indira Gandhi visited Manipur. The public pelted stones at her when she was delivering her speech. The public set on fire one police vehicle and an ambulance. One police driver died and 66 police personnel got injured. In the police firing, 4 civilians were killed and 6 others were injured. On 16 February 1970 UAC (United Action Committee) launched a huge strike in all the constituencies. In March 1970 they launched pickets at the Secretariat and DC office for the cause of statehood. Police arrested 521 persons and registered 21 cases. As they could not be lodged in the jail, they were taken to sub-jail at Pallel. The self-styled President of Meitei State W. Tomba was arrested with 4 members. They were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The neglect of statehood of Manipur, the Nagaland statehood in 1963 via violence and foreign supports from then East Pakistan and China help the formation of many insurgents groups in North-East India including Manipur.
Manipur's incorporation into the Indian state soon led to the formation of many 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, [15] tribes such as Anal, Moyon, Monsang and Maring who share cultural similarities with the other Kuki tribes, started identifying themselves as Naga. [15] [16] This is seen as a milestone for the consolidation of Naga nationalism by United Naga Council and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah. [16]
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. [17] 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. [17]
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. [16]
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. [18] [19]
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. [1]
 | This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source .(August 2023) |
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. [20] 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] [20]
The first suspension of operations (SoO) was signed in 2005 between Kuki militant organizations and the Indian army. [20] 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. [21] The agreement lead to a ceasefire and laying down of arms by Kuki militant groups and began the process of negotiations. [20] On 10 March 2023, the Government of Manipur withdrew from the suspension of operations agreement with Kuki National Army and Zomi Revolutionary Front. [22]
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. [23] This marked a new era in Manipur's insurgency where the militant groups of respective ethnic communities witnessed a resurgence in membership. [24] [25]
Militant organizations in Manipur display ethnic loyalties among a range of other ideologies. [15]
| 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. Hmar People's Convention-Democracy (HPC-D), 20. Hmar Revolutionary Front (HRF), 21. Chin Kuki Revolutionary Front (CKRF) |
| Naga | 1. National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), 2. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) |
| Zomi | 1. Zomi Revolutionary Army(ZRA), 2. Hmar People's Convention-Democracy (HPC-D) |
 |
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. [26]
Manipur is a landlocked state in northeast India with Imphal as its capital. It borders Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north. It shares international borders with Myanmar, specifically the Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the southeast. Covering an area of 8,621 square miles, the state consists mostly of hilly terrain with the 700-square-mile Imphal Valley inhabited by the Meitei (Manipuri) community, historically a kingdom. Surrounding hills are home to Naga and Kuki-Zo communities, who speak Tibeto-Burman languages. The official language and lingua franca, Meitei (Manipuri), also belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.
The Insurgency in Northeast India involves multiple separatist and jihadist militant groups operating in some of India's northeastern states, which are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as 14.29 miles (23.00 km) wide.
The People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) is an armed insurgent group in Manipur demanding a separate and independent homeland. PREPAK was formed under the leadership of R. K. Tulachandra in 1977.
The Naga conflict, also known as the Naga Insurgency, is an ongoing conflict fought between the ethnic Nagas and the Government of India in North-East India. Nagaland, inhabited by the Nagas, is located at the tri-junction border of India on the West and South, north and Myanmar on the East.
Moreh is a border town located on the India–Myanmar border in Tengnoupal district of the Indian state of Manipur. As a rapidly developing international trade point with the integrated customs and international immigration checkpoint, Moreh plays an important role in India's Look East Policy, trade and commerce under ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, India-Myanmar relationship, India–Myanmar–Thailand road connectivity, and Trans-Asian Railway connectivity.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga militant and separatist group operating mainly in northeastern part of India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar (Burma). The main aim of the organisation is allegedly to establish a sovereign Naga state, "Nagalim", which would consist of all the areas inhabited by Naga tribes in Northeast India and northwest Myanmar. Despite the name, the group does not endorse the ideology of "National Socialism" as practiced by Nazi Germany. Rather, the group's name is derived from their belief in the nationalist goal of a sovereign Naga state, combined with their belief in socialism. Due to the area the Naga traditionally inhabit being relatively isolated, the combination of the terms "nationalism" and "socialism" together do not have the same association with Nazism as it does in the Western world. India claims that China and Pakistan provide financial support and weaponry to the NSCN. Drug trafficking and extortion are believed to be other major sources of income for the NSCN.
Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front was a militant group operating in Karbi Anglong district and Dima Hasao district of Assam, India. Thong Teron was the general secretary of KLNLF. Karbi Anglong NC Hills People's Resistance was the armed wing of the organization. KLNLF emerged from the United People's Democratic Solidarity, being against the peace talks between the UDPS and the government. After the split, there has been turf wars between the two groups.
The Kuki–Paite Conflict, also called Kuki–Zomi Conflict, was an ethnic conflict during 1997–1998 between tribal communities in Churachandpur district in Manipur, India. The conflict started when a Kuki insurgent group, KNF, mercilessly killed 10 Paite villagers of Saikul Village on June 24, 1997, which led to pitting one group that subscribed to the Kuki label against another group that subscribed to the Zomi label, the latter being led by the Paites. The conflict lasted for over a year, during which 352 people died, thousands of homes were destroyed and over 13,000 people were displaced. The Government of India sent in the Indian Army to attempt to stop the violence, but peace was restored in September–October 1998 only with the initiative of the Church.
The People's Liberation Army of Manipur, often shortened to the People's Liberation Army, is a militant group fighting for the creation of an independent and socialist Manipur, a state in northeastern India.
The Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) is an armed Zomi nationalist militant group formed in 1997, following an increase in ethnic tensions between the Kuki people and the Paite people in Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Its parent organisation, the Zomi Re-unification Organisation, was founded in April 1993.
Secession in India typically refers to state secession, which is the withdrawal of one or more states from the Republic of India. Whereas, some have wanted a separate state, union territory or an autonomous administrative division within India. Many separatist movements exist with thousands of members, however, some have low local support and high voter participation in democratic elections. However, at the same time, demanding separate statehood within under the administration of Indian union from an existing state can lead to criminal charges under secession law in India. India is described as a ‘Union of States’ in Article 1 of the Indian constitution I.e "Indestructible nation of destructible states" by its father of constitution Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar where a state or Union territory of India cannot secede from India by any means and the Central Government has more powers than the respective state governments and can forcefully change the names and boundaries of the states without their permission at any time when needed for self interest and for the maintenance of integrity.
The Shillong Accord of 1975 was an agreement signed between the Government of India, also referred to as the Federal government, or Union government, or Central government of India, and Nagaland's underground government, also referred to as the Naga Federal government and its Naga guerilla forces, to accept the supremacy of Constitution of India without condition, surrender their arms and renounce their demand for the secession of Nagaland from India.
Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup is a Meitei insurgent group that operates in the state of Manipur in India. It was formed in January 1994 by a faction of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) led by Namoijam Oken in conjunction with splinter groups of Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK). It is a secessionist organisation and banned by the Government of India. The group displays a strong ethnonationalist and nativist rhetoric in their announcements.
On 9 June 2015, India conducted a cross-border strike code name Operation Hot Pursuit against insurgents belonging to NSCN-K. According to India, the operation took place in Myanmar and it was in response to ambush of Indian Army convoy of 6 Dogra Regiment in Chandel district of Manipur. Indian officials said that they had crossed the border and inflicted significant casualties against the NSCN-K. According to Indian media reports, around 38 insurgents belonging to NSCN-K were killed during the operation. The operation lasted around 40 minutes.
Shangwang Shangyung Khaplang was a Burmese leader of Naga ethnicity. He was the leader of the NSCN-K, an insurgent group that operates to establish a Greater Nagaland, a sovereign state bringing all Naga-inhabited areas of Myanmar and India under one administrative setup.
This is a timeline of the Insurgency in Northeast India, an ongoing armed conflict between the separatist rebels and the Indian government.
The hill tribes of Northeast India are hill people, mostly classified as Scheduled Tribes (STs), who live in the Northeast India region. This region has the largest proportion of scheduled tribes in the country.
The Insurgency in Arunachal Pradesh is a part of the larger Northeast India insurgency involving multiple groups trying to separate from or destabilize the province. Because Arunachal Pradesh is a border state, militants sometimes conduct cross border operations to facilitate their activities. In addition to the non-state groups operating in the region, since its recapture in the 1962 War, there has been incursions from the Chinese Army in the region further escalating the conflict. The conflict has cooled since police arrest of major insurgent leaders. The insurgency has seen many minor actors in conflict with each other due to ethnic and religious differences.
The 2011 Tirap Ambush was a violent clash within the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) between the NSCN--Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the NSCN--Khaplang (NSCN-K) militant groups on the Indo-Myanmar border of Tirap district, in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Throughout the long-running separatist insurgencies in Northeast India, dozens of India-based insurgent groups have been involved in the neighboring conflict in Myanmar, both sheltering in Myanmar from the counterinsurgent Assam Rifles and participating in the conflict itself. Outside of several Indian-led operations, including Operation Golden Bird in 1995, Operation Hot Pursuit in 2015, or Operation Sunrise I and II in 2019, areas in which these insurgent groups are active have scarcely experienced fighting. Amid the escalation of civil war in Myanmar from 2021, several sources claim that the majority of Indian ethnic armed organisations (IEAOs) are allied, or have some level of understanding, with the ruling military junta of Myanmar, who allows them to maintain bases inside mountainous areas of northern Myanmar, typically in return for the IEAOs attacking anti-junta resistance groups.
