The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday banned nine Meitei extremist groups and their associate organisations for their anti-national activities and fatal attacks on security forces, PTI reported.
Most of these organisations operate in Manipur where ethnic violence broke out on May 03 and continues till date. Meitei groups are accused of a pogrom in Imphal that killed about 70 Kuki-Zo people in the initial week.
According to a notification issued by the MHA, the Peoples’ Liberation Army generally known as PLA, and its political wing, the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front (RPF), the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples’ Army (MPA), the Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing, the “Red Army”, the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing, also called the “Red Army”, the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), the Coordination Committee (CorCom) and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK), have their professed aim establishment of an independent nation by the secession of Manipur from India through armed struggle and to incite indigenous people of Manipur for such secession.
The PLA, UNLF, PREPAK, KCP, and KYKL were declared banned by the MHA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) years ago and the latest action extends the ban by five years. The declaration as outlawed by the other organisations is fresh.
The central government states that if there is no immediate curb and control of the Meitei extremist organisations they will take the opportunity to mobilise their cadres to escalate their secessionist, subversive, terrorist and violent activities.
The Central Government is of the opinion that the “Meitei Extremist” Organisations have been engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India; employing and engaging in armed means to achieve their aforesaid objectives; attacking and killing the Security Forces, the Police and Civilians in Manipur; indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion and looting of civilian population for collection of funds for their Organisations.
They are also accused of making contacts with sources abroad for influencing public opinion and for securing their assistance by way of arms and training to achieve their secessionist objective; and maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for sanctuaries, training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition.
