Ministry of Home Affairs forms a tribunal to access the need to prohibit Meitei Extremist Organizations in Manipur

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has established a tribunal under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), with Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi of the Gauhati High Court, to determine whether there is sufficient cause to prohibit Meitei Extremist Organizations in Manipur. The ministry had previously banned around nine Meitei extremist organizations on November 13, citing their involvement in "secessionist, subversive, terrorist, and violent activities."

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notice on Tuesday that read, “MHA has constituted the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal consisting of Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi, Judge of the Gauhati High court, for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Meitei Extremist Organizations of Manipur.”

The nine Meitei extremist organizations that were narrowed down include the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and its political arm, the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF); the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed branch, the Manipur People's Army (MPA); the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing, the "Red Army"; the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing, also known as the "Red Army"; the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL); the Coordination Committee (CorCom); and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK), along with all their factions, wings, and affiliated organizations.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that these groups have openly declared their goal of establishing an independent nation by separating Manipur from India through armed struggle, and they seek to incite the indigenous people of Manipur to support this secession. The government asserts that these organizations are carrying out attacks on security forces, police, and civilians in Manipur, engaging in activities that pose a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of India. According to the MHA, the government believes that these Meitei extremist organizations have been involved in actions detrimental to India's sovereignty and integrity.