2 important UNLF(P) members, including self-styled army chief, held in Manipur, say Officials

IMPHAL — Two “important” members of the banned United National Liberation Front (P) have been arrested in a joint operation carried out by the Manipur Police, NIA and CRPF, officials said on Wednesday.

They said Thokchom Thoiba, a self-styled army chief of the proscribed outfit, and Lieutenant Colonel Laimayum Ingba, the head of its intelligence department, were arrested in the operation.

The two men were immediately put on a flight to Delhi for a thorough interrogation by National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials.

Thoiba was not a part of the UNLF(P) when it signed a peace agreement with the Centre in November last year.

Led by Kh Pambei, the UNLF(P) on November 29, 2023 became the first Meitei armed group in the Imphal valley to enter into a ceasefire agreement with the government and agreed to renounce violence.

Despite the signing of the peace accord, security agencies voiced concerns over the escalating violence in Manipur perpetrated by the UNLF.

Post the agreement, the outfit neither shared any information about the number of its cadre who were supposed to be kept in a secure area nor surrendered weapons.

Security officials debated intelligence inputs suggesting that the group’s members are setting up camps on the outskirts of areas predominantly inhabited by the Kuki population with an aim to target the tribal community, the officials said.

They said based on ground reports, agencies have observed that the UNLF(P) cadre have been engaging in violent activities against both security forces and the general public.

They were involved in looting arms and ammunition from the 5th India Reserve Battalion (IRB) at Chingarel in Manipur East on February 13.

Following this incident, police arrested six individuals, including two UNLF cadre, and the case is now likely to be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Recent sightings of the UNLF(P) cadre in various areas, such as Moirangpurel, Tumukhong and Itham, have raised concerns, with reports indicating that they were carrying out reconnaissance activities for setting up camps in Moirangpurel and Itham.

Despite the ceasefire agreement aimed at ending hostilities between the UNLF(P) and security forces, recent incidents show that the UNLF(P) cadre have been moving freely with their automatic weapons, seemingly immune to arrest by security forces.

Ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis have resulted in the loss of 219 lives in Manipur since May last year.

Established in 1964, the UNLF has been active both within and outside the Indian territory. Since 2014, the BJP-led Centre has signed agreements with several armed groups in the northeast to quell militancy and foster development in the region.

Additionally, a Suspension of Operations (SoO) with 21 Kuki-dominated groups has been in place since 2008 to ensure peace in Manipur’s hilly regions. The Manipur government’s unilateral withdrawal from the SoO in March due to allegations of encroachment on forest land by two Kuki-dominated insurgent groups has not been endorsed by the Centre.