MHA extends UAPA ban against eight Meitei extremist organisations

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on November 13 extended the ban under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against eight “Meitei extremist organisations” for advocating secession of Manipur from India through armed struggle. The eight organisations are the Peoples’ Liberation Army generally known as PLA, and its political wing, the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front, the United National Liberation Front and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples’ Army, the Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak and its armed wing, the ‘Red Army’, the Kangleipak Communist Party and its armed wing, also called the ‘Red Army’, the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup, the Coordination Committee and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak. The notification collectively referred the outfits as “Meitei Extremist Organisations.” It added that the Central government is of the opinion that the outfits have been engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India; employing and engaging in armed means to achieve their objectives, attacking and killing the security forces, police and civilians in Manipur; indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion and looting of civilian population for collection of funds; 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. It said if there is no immediate curb and control the activities, they will take the opportunity to “mobilise their cadres for escalating their secessionist, subversive, terrorist and violent activities; 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.” The government declared the eight outfits an unlawful association for a period of ten years affective November 13.