Manipur: Three held as police, Army and Assam Rifles act against banned KCP factions
Security forces in Manipur have arrested three people described by police as militants belonging to two factions of a banned insurgent outfit, in separate operations in Imphal East district, a police statement said on Tuesday.
All three arrests were made on Monday, the statement said.
In the first operation, Yumnam Ramos Singh, 21, was arrested from the Andro area by a joint team of Manipur police commandos and Assam Rifles personnel. Police identified him as a member of the Kangleipak Communist Party (MFL).
In a second joint operation, involving state police commandos and the Army, two men were arrested in the Lamlai area. Police identified them as Ngangom Loijinghenba Meitei, 22, and Ngangom Hemba Meitei, 28, describing both as active members of the KCP (Apunba).
The statement did not specify what the three are accused of, whether any arms, ammunition or documents were recovered from them, or the sections of law under which they have been booked. Police have not said whether the arrests are linked to a specific incident.
The Kangleipak Communist Party is among the armed organisations banned by the central government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Over the years, it has split into factions, of which the MFL and Apunba groups are two. Manipur has seen an armed insurgency for decades, with a number of groups raising different political demands. Successive governments have signed suspension-of-operations agreements with some of these outfits while continuing operations against others.
Arrests of alleged members of banned outfits are reported periodically from Manipur's valley and hill districts. In cases involving a banned organisation, an arrested person is ordinarily produced before a court, which decides on police or judicial remand; under Indian law, an accused is presumed innocent unless proved guilty.
The arrests in Imphal East come against the backdrop of continuing instability in the state. Since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023, more than 250 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced, according to official figures. The state has also seen periods of restricted internet access and repeated deployments of central forces.
Security in the state is handled jointly by Manipur police and central paramilitary forces, including the Assam Rifles and the Army, which operate under powers that allow them to conduct searches and make arrests in specified areas. Joint operations of this kind are a regular feature of counter-insurgency work in the region.
Details such as the exact locations of the arrests, the time of the operations, or whether the arrested persons have any prior records were not made public in the statement.
The development is significant for the wider security picture in Manipur, where the administration has to balance counter-insurgency operations with efforts to restore normal life after more than three years of conflict. How the cases proceed in court, and whether they lead to further arrests, will be watched closely in the state.
