Representative image of people from Manipur stage a protest against the ongoing ethnic violence in the state, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Centre on Monday banned seven Meiti extremist groups and four of its affiliates, which included two political wings and two armed wings, for five years on charges of engaging in anti-India activities that challenges the country's sovereignty and integrity and attacking and killing security forces and civilians.
In its notification, the Ministry of Home Ministry has identified the groups, including the Peoples’ Liberation Army (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) and 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”, as well as the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), the Coordination Committee (CorCom) and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK) are also in the list of extremist outfits that face a ban for next five years.
The MHA notification said these organisations have aimed to establish an independent nation by secession of Manipur from India through armed struggle and to incite indigenous people of Manipur for such secession.
These 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...," according to the notification.
It also accused these organisations of "making contacts with sources abroad for influencing public opinion and for securing their assistance by way of arms and training for the purpose of achieving their secessionist objective and maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for the purpose of sanctuaries, training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition".
The MHA believes that if there is "immediate curb and control" on these organisations, which are "considered detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India, they would mobilise their cadres for escalating their secessionist, subversive, terrorist and violent activities."
The would also "propagate anti-national activities in collusion with forces inimical to sovereignty and integrity of India, indulge in killings of civilians and targeting of the police and security force personnel, procure and induct illegal arms and ammunitions from across the international border and extort and collect huge funds from public for their unlawful activities," it said citing reasons for the ban on these organisations along with all their factions, wings and front organisations, as unlawful associations.