Tension In Manipur As Youths Douse Themselves In Petrol, Threaten Self-Immolation Over Local Leader's Arrest

A group of young men doused themselves in petrol and threatened to set themselves alight in Imphal, the capital of Manipur, on Saturday night following the arrest of Kanan Singh, a key leader of Arambai Tenggol (AT) - a controversial Meitei volunteer group accused of involvement in the ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities.

Protests erupted across Imphal after Singh's detention by security forces. Demonstrators set tyres ablaze and blocked several roads. Some residents also reported hearing gunfire in the city.

In footage from the protest, several young men wearing black T-shirts were seen holding bottles filled with petrol, reported NDTV.

One protester was heard shouting, "We have given up arms. We have done what you're supposed to do during the floods. Now you're arresting us. We will kill ourselves."

Kanan Singh is considered the main suspect in the February 2024 attack on the residence of Additional Superintendent of Police Moirangthem Amit, which led to the officer's abduction. At the time, Singh was serving as a head constable in a state police commando unit but was later suspended for "dereliction of duty." He subsequently joined Arambai Tenggol.

Authorities have now imposed a curfew and suspended internet services for five days across five districts: Bishnupur, Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, and Kakching.

Protesters have pointed to the fact that AT volunteers had surrendered their weapons earlier this year under assurances that Meitei villages in the foothills would receive security guarantees. This came after an order from Manipur Governor AK Bhalla - acting under President's Rule - requiring all illegal and looted firearms to be handed over. More recently, AT members were seen assisting with flood relief in valley areas.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is currently probing multiple cases in the state, including those involving AT chief Korounganba Khuman.

Protests in Moreh

The unrest in Imphal follows continuing demonstrations by the Kuki community, who are protesting the arrest of one of their own leaders, Kamgingthang Gangte, from the border town of Moreh. Gangte is accused of fatally shooting a Manipur Police officer with a sniper rifle in October 2023.

Gangte is reportedly a leader of the Kuki National Army (KNA), a group that had entered into a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with both the central and state governments. However, the KNA and other SoO signatories face accusations of breaching the agreement's ground rules.

"It is a matter of deep concern that so-called civil society groups are protesting against the arrest of a militant, who is under the SoO agreement, and allegedly linked to the murder of a police officer on duty," a spokesperson for the Meitei Heritage Society told journalists.

"Resistance During Arrests"

Police sources say efforts to arrest suspects in connection with the ongoing violence have met with strong resistance from both sides, due to the deeply polarised ethnic divide in the state.

AT insists it is a cultural group that took up arms as "village volunteers" out of necessity when law enforcement failed to protect Meitei communities in the foothills during the initial outbreak of violence in May 2023. The group claims their actions were defensive in nature, aimed at repelling attacks from armed Kuki militants.

Conversely, Kuki organisations describe AT as a "radical Meitei militia" that launched offensives against Kuki villages. They allege AT fighters spearheaded violent assaults after the initial wave of ethnic clashes in May last year, prompting Kuki villagers to form their own "village volunteer" units in self-defence. AT members have also been implicated in incidents involving the looting of police armouries.

Both Meitei and Kuki "volunteers" have been seen wielding similar weaponry - ranging from AK and M-series rifles to mortars, sniper rifles, and surveillance drones.

Banned Meitei insurgent groups like the People's Liberation Army (PLA), KYKL, and KCP, which had been largely dormant over the past decade, are said to have returned from Myanmar in the aftermath of the May 2023 clashes, taking advantage of the weakening grip of the junta in border regions.

The United National Liberation Front (Pambei faction), or UNLF (P), remains the only Meitei militant group to have signed a ceasefire pact similar to the SoO with the Indian government.

On the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar side, nearly two dozen armed groups fall under two umbrella organisations - the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People's Front (UPF). Both have signed SoO deals which mandate that insurgents remain confined to designated camps and their weapons be securely locked away under monitoring. Despite this, several groups are accused of participating in the ongoing violence.

Since the outbreak of conflict in May 2023, over 260 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced.