8 hours ago
Manipur on edge after arrest of radical Meitei leader—ex-cop wanted for abduction of senior officer
Another arrest of a Kuki National Army (KNA) leader was also made by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case of murder.
Kannan Singh, the commander of Arambai Tenggol and a former head constable in the Manipur Police who was dismissed from service earlier this year, has been involved in multiple cases, police sources confirmed to ThePrint.
New Delhi: Tensions erupted in two districts of Manipur on Saturday night, prompting the suspension of internet services for five days after a popular leader of the radical group Arambai Tenggol allegedly involved in the abduction of a senior police officer, was arrested and handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Protests broke out in the Imphal valley, demanding the release of Singh and another volunteer of Arambai Tenggol who was arrested by Manipur Police in a separate case. Protesters torched tyres and old furniture on roads in Kwakeithel and Uripok, and clashed with security personnel Saturday night.
A mob also set a bus on fire at Khurai Lamlong in Imphal East district. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the protesters in front of Kangla Gate, nearly 200 metres away from the Raj Bhavan.
'The situation was extremely tense on Saturday evening but now things are under control. Security has been strengthened along the roads leading to the Raj Bhavan with additional deployment of central forces,' a senior police officer told ThePrint. Similar preventive measures were clamped in Thoubal and Kakching districts, the police said.
In Imphal East and Bishnupur districts, people have been prohibited from stepping outside their residences from 10 pm on Saturday, until further orders.
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Who is Kannan Singh?
According to sources in the Manipur Police, Singh is a prominent leader of the Arambai Tenggol who was actually a head constable in the Manipur Police till a few months ago.
'He had ties with the Arambai Tenggol and had been placed under suspension after his involvement was found in many instances of violence. Following this, he was dismissed from service earlier this year,' a police source said. 'He had been involved in cases of murder and extortion.'
The source added that he was handed over to the CBI after the arrest as the central agency is probing the case of the police abduction last year.
In February last year, additional superintendent of police (operations) M. Amit posted in Imphal (West) was thrashed and abducted by 'unknown armed miscreants' of Arambai Tenggol from outside his home.
An AK47 was snatched from an inspector-rank officer attached to the SP and his driver's nose was also broken in the melee. The officer was, however, rescued by a police team led by senior officers in a two-hour-long operation.
Police sources had told ThePrint that the officer's house was attacked and he was abducted to put pressure on the police to release a few armed members of the Arambai Tenggol who were arrested earlier.
The radical armed Meitei group, Arambai Tenggol, faces many allegations of violence, looting and arson attacks on churches in Manipur.
According to sources, the Arambai Tenggol was founded in 2020 as a cultural body, but soon transformed into a radical armed outfit. The group had also summoned MLAs for a meeting at Kangla Fort on 24 January last year. As many as 37 of Manipur's MLAs and two of the state's MPs—one from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha — had answered its 'summons' for the meeting, where they took an oath to 'protect the integrity of the state'.
The group, the sources said, acquired a position of unparalleled prominence in Manipur. So much so that it is widely referred to as a 'parallel government', as public disenchantment with the actual administration — and its failure to stop the ongoing ethnic violence—surges in Manipur.
Following the imposition of the President's Rule in Manipur in February, there has been a crackdown on members of the Arambai Tenggol, as many of them have been placed under arrest and arms recovered from them.
The unrest has prompted authorities to reimpose curfews and suspend internet services in several areas. Internet access has been blocked for five days in the valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur, as police brace for potential attempts to stoke tensions online.
Also Read: 10 suspected Kuki militants killed, 'war-like' ammo stockpile seized in Assam Rifles op
Balancing act?
A member of a Meitei civil society group called the move a 'balancing act,' as a joint team of the Assam Rifles and the NIA, on Friday, arrested Kuki National Army (KNA) leader Kamginthang Gangte at Mandoi Veng in Tengnoupal district.
The KNA leader is accused of masterminding the killing of SDPO Chingtham Anand and an ambush that injured three police commandos in Moreh.
'When someone like the governor gives a written assurance that no action would be taken against them (Arambai Tenggol) after they surrendered their arms in February— and then this happens, it erodes the credibility of the office,' the Metei member alleged. 'The arrest is one thing, but how and when it was done matters. It paints a very negative picture of intent.'
He acknowledged that Arambai Tenggol is an armed group and that holding weapons is illegal, especially if taken from the police. 'But you have to understand the context,' he said. 'When the conflict started two years ago, the people ran to the police and army while their homes were burning, but the officers said they had no orders. People were crying, begging for help—and nothing was done.'
That's when, he said, the Arambai Tenggol stepped in. 'If the police and army had responded, this wouldn't have happened.' 'Yes, it's unlawful,' he said, 'but it began with abandonment. That's the real failure.'
Similarly, Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee convenor Rojesh Seram said the timing of the crackdown appeared provocative. 'Just two days ago in Guwahati, the Army held a closed-door meeting to discuss extending the Suspension of Operations. And now, within days, they're targeting Arambai Tenggol—whose volunteers have been leading relief efforts during the ongoing floods,' he said.
According to Seram, the protests are not just about one arrest but a wider sense of betrayal. 'In the last three months, over 1,000 Meitei people have been systematically arrested, while Kuki militants roam freely with the government's tacit approval. There's a clear double standard — one law for the valley, another for the hills,' he alleged.
He also linked the anger to earlier controversies, including an alleged attempt to 'erase the name of Manipur.' 'People are demanding that the governor apologize and that the security advisor, the DGP, and the chief secretary resign or be removed. This is not just a protest — it's a reckoning,' Seram said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Mayanglambam Rameshwar Singh, accompanied by BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba, had visited the governor's office on Saturday night to raise concerns over the recent arrests, but they were denied entry.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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