insurgency in Manipur
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The Insurgency in Manipur is an ongoing armed conflict between
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and a number of separatist rebel groups, taking place in the state of
Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...
. The Insurgency in Manipur is part of the wider
Insurgency in Northeast India The Insurgency in Northeast India involves multiple armed separatist factions operating in some of India's Northeast India, northeastern states, which are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as ...
; it combines elements of a
national liberation war Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...
as well as an ethnic conflict.


Background

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 Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
following the brief Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, becoming a British protectorate. Manipur became a part of India on 21 October 1949. However, only after violent protests, it became a separate state in 1972. Manipur's incorporation into the Indian state soon led to the formation of a number of insurgent organisations, seeking the creation of an independent state within the borders of Manipur, and dismissing the merger with India as involuntary.


History

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 The People's Liberation Army of Manipur, often shortened to just People's Liberation Army (PLA-MP or PLAM), founded by N. Bisheshwar Singh on 25 September 1978, is a separatist armed terrorist group fighting for a separate independent socialist ...
(PLA),
People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak 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. History PREPAK was formed, in a m ...
(PREPAK) and the
Kangleipak Communist Party Kangleipak Communist Party is a Maoist militant group in Manipur, India. Named after Kangleipak, the ancient name of Manipur, it was initially led by the communist ideologues — Ibohanbi and Ibopishak. The Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) had b ...
(KCP), were formed, immediately joining the war. 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. The parallel rise of Naga nationalism in neighbouring
Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...
led to the emergence of
National Socialist Council of Nagaland The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga nationalist separatist group operating mainly in Northeast India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar (Burma). The main aim of the organisation is to establish a sovereign Naga ...
(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,
Pangal The Meitei Pangals ( mni, Meitei Pangan), also known as the Pangals ( mni, Pangan) or the Meitei Muslims ( mni, Meitei Pangal) or the Manipuri Muslims ( mni, Manipuri Pangal), are a group of Muslims who speak Meitei language as their nativ ...
s and Hmars followed suit establishing militant groups. The rise of tribal militias culminated in
ethnic violence Ethnic violence is a form of political violence which is expressly motivated by ethnic hatred and ethnic conflict. Forms of ethnic violence which can be argued to have the characteristics of terrorism may be known as ethnic terrorism or ethnica ...
that took place during the 1990s.


Current scenario

In contrast with the other insurgencies in NorthEast, Manipur-based militants are characterised by a low level of defections and a well organised intelligence network. They have also avoided targeting local police personnel, thus aiming to secure popular support. Extortion remains the main source of funding for militant groups. 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. The illegal taxation is done through posts that can be found alongside the NH-39 and NH-53 highways. The taxation is very high compared to the local police excise duties. The effect of these taxations are largely felt by the drivers transporting oil along the highways from Assam to Manipur.


Timeline

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. * 4 July 2000, 18 insurgents surrendered to the authorities of Imphal in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Nipamacha Singh. * 18 September 2001, the Indian military killed 5 PLA members during a shootout in the Khoupum valley, Tamenglong district. * 10 February 2003, a KYKL ambush leads to the death of 5 Border Security Force personnel, in Leingangtabi along the Imphal-Moreh road. * 16 January 2005, security forces uncovered a PLA camp in Theogtang Zoukanou, Churachandpur district. A total of 76 rifles, 20 small arms, and large amounts of ammunition were seized. * 30 June 2005, 5 policemen and 4 PLA rebels were slain in a clash, in Thangjng Ching, Churachandpur district. A radio set, weapons, as well as documentation were confiscated from the dead guerrillas. * 17 August 2007, police arrested 12 rebels from the official residences of three Members of the Legislative Assembly in Imphal. * 31 November 2010, authorities detained UNLF chairman Rajkumar Meghen, the incident took place in Motihari,
Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. * 15 April 2011, a NSCN-IM ambush resulted in the death of 8 people and the injury of 6 others, the victims belonged to the Manipur Legislative Assembly and the Manipur police. The incident took place in Riha, Yeingangpokpi 12 km from Imphal after the then MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing conference meeting, Ukhrul district. * 1 August 2011, 5 people were killed and 8 others injured when National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah rebels detonated a bomb outside a barber shop in the Sanghakpam Bazaar, Imphal. * 30 April 2012, 103 rebels belonging to UNLF, PULF, KYKL, PREPAK, KNLF, KCP, PLA, UNPC, NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, UPPK and KRPA and KRF, surrendered before the Chief Minister Ibobi Singh during a ceremony at Mantripukhri in the Imphal West District. * 14 September 2013, an IED detonated in a tent housing migrant workers in the city of Imphal, killing at least 9 and injuring 20 people. * 20 February 2015, security forces conducted a number of raids in the areas of Wangjing and Khongtal, arresting 5 PREPAK cadres. * 23 May 2015, security forces carried out a joint operation in the village of Hingojang, Senapati district. Three rebels were killed, and one was detained after the rebels offered armed resistance. * 4 June 2015, guerrillas ambushed a military convoy in Chandel district, killing 18 soldiers and wounding 15 others. UNLFW claimed responsibility for the attack. * 9 June 2015, operators of the 21st Para SF Battalion of the
Indian army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
carried out a cross border operation into Myanmar, which resulted in the death of approximately 20 rebels including those who attacked an army convoy on 4 June. Commandos went a few kilometers inside the Myanmar territory to destroy two camps of insurgents hiding there after their attacks in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh on 4 June by NSCN(K) and KYKL outfits. * 22 May 2016, rebels ambushed and killed six Indian paramilitary soldiers in Manipur, India near the northeastern region bordering Myanmar. * 13 November 2021, rebels ambushed a convoy belonging to
Assam Rifles The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. It guards the Indo-Myanmar border. The Assam rifles is the oldest paramilitary force ...
, killing five Indian soldiers and two civilians in Churachandpur district, Manipur. The deceased also included an Indian army colonel and his family. Indian police suspect that rebels belonging to
People's Liberation Army of Manipur The People's Liberation Army of Manipur, often shortened to just People's Liberation Army (PLA-MP or PLAM), founded by N. Bisheshwar Singh on 25 September 1978, is a separatist armed terrorist group fighting for a separate independent socialist ...
(PLA) were responsible for the ambush.India: Border state ambush kills five soldiers, two civilians
Al Jazeera. 13 November 2021.


See also

* Human rights abuses in Manipur * Child soldiers in India *
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Naxalite–Maoist insurgency , image = Naxal Left-wing violence or activity affected districts of India 2018.svg , image_size = 300px , caption = Naxalite active z ...
*
Separatist movements of India 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 States and union territories of India, state, union territory or an Autonomou ...
*
Insurgency in Northeast India The Insurgency in Northeast India involves multiple armed separatist factions operating in some of India's Northeast India, northeastern states, which are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as ...


References

{{ongoing military conflicts * Civil wars involving the states and peoples of Asia Wars involving India Wars involving Myanmar Military history of India Military history of Myanmar 2000s conflicts 2010s conflicts Conflicts in 2016 2000s in India 2010s in India Insurgencies in Asia