Insurgents, their strength and Ethnic Loyalty in Manipur
By the end of last millennium the estimated strength of the cadres of various insurgent groups operating in hills and valley of Manipur reached around twenty thousand. They are reportedly in possession of sophisticated weapons like AK 47 and Rocket Launchers.
According to an intelligence report, 19,590 insurgents and extremists were operating both in valley and hill areas of Manipur by 2001 (Bleeding Manipur by Phanjoubam Tarapot, Har Anand Publication, New Delhi, 2003, page178). Another book (Insurgency or Ethnic Conflict by S.C.Sharma, Magnum, 2000, page 217-18) listed emergence of 34 insurgent groups including ten inactive in the state. Leaving apart the ten inactive groups the list includes the following:
Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF), Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), Manipur Liberation Front Army (MLFA), Kanglei Yawol Khnna Lup (KYKL), Revolutionary Joint Committee (RJC), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), Peoples United Liberation Front (PULF), National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K), National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-I/M), Naga Lim Guard (NLG), Kuki National Front (KNF), Kuki National Army (KNA), Kuki Defence Force(KDF), Kuki Democratic Movement (KDM), Kuki National Organisation (KNO), Kuki Security Force (KSF), Chin Kuki Revolutionary Front (CKRF), Kom Rem Peoples Convention (KRPC), Zomi Revolutionary Volunteers(ZRV), Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), Zomi Reunification Organisation (ZRO), and Hmar Peoples Convention (HPC).
Among over thirty militant groups, three Meitei militant outfits namely UNLF, PLA and PREPAK are most active in Manipur valley. They are presently under a unified platform namely Manipur Peoples Liberation Front which they had formed in 1999 with Rajkumar Meghen @ Sanayaima (Chairman of UNLF) as convener but maintaining their independent identity with their respective strength which is as under:
UNLF Rajkumar Meghen @ Sanayaima (Chairman), Khundongbam Tomba @ Sunil or Pambi (General Secretary), A.Wangpa (Secretary), M. Nongyai (Secretary Organisation) and N. Thabal (Secretary of Publicity). With Manipur Peoples Army (MPA) as its armed wing and estimated cadre strength of 2500 it also maintains link with RPF, NSCN-K, ULFA, KNF, KYKL-T, National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) besides PLA and PREPAK.
PLA Irengbam Bhorot @ Chaoren (Chairman), Manoharmayum (Vice-Chairman) and estimated cadre strength of 3000. Apart from UNLF and PREPAK it is also maintaining link with KCP, NSCN K, ULFA, Tripura Peoples Democratic Front (TPDF), and Kachin Independent Army (KIA) of Myanmmar. It reportedly also received weapons from KIA. It is known to have largest following among the Meiteis.
PREPAK Achamba Singh @ Subhas (Chairman), Palliba Singh (General Secretary) and Tajila (C-in-C) With estimated cadre strength of 1500, it also maintains link with KYKL-T and NSCN I/M which trained its activists. It also received arms from KIA.
All the three groups have common objective to free Manipur from Indian occupation. All of them are having their training camps in neighbouring Burma and Bangladesh. Apart from these three most active groups KYKL-O, KYKL T and KCP are also operating in the valley though their strength is relatively much less. Both the factions of NSCN, and Kuki outfits are actively operating in the Hills of Manipur. While the estimated strength of NSCN-I/M in Manipur is 6000, NSCN-Ks strength is 3500.
Most of these underground organizations waged war either for sovereign Manipur state or for forming different smaller independent states by dividing the present Manipur. Government of India being common target of all the insurgent groups of entire northeast however worked as a common link between them, which they have been maintaining even today. As per a survey report (Survey of Conflict and Resolution in India's Northeast - Ajai Sahni) cumulative total of fatalities in insurgencies in Manipur between 1992 to April 2002 was 3090. The deaths include Civilians, security forces and militants