Protests spread across Manipur over the killing of three Meitei men; police seize 24 firearms and arrest 17 people

Guwahati: Protests continued at several places in Manipur, with demonstrators demanding justice for the killing of three Meitei men on October 19.

The film fraternity in Manipur also held a protest on Saturday. On Wednesday, a large group clashed with police outside a sports complex in Imphal while chief minister Y Khemchand Singh was attending an event inside.

Former chief minister N Biren Singh visited the victims’ families and expressed condolences over the killings in a post on X, saying the people of Manipur deserved peace, security and freedom from fear.


“It is a matter of shame that innocent civilians continue to lose their lives to such brutal violence,” he said in his post.

Manipur Police said on Saturday that a joint operation involving state police, the Quick Action Team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) had led to the arrest of 17 people at Sinai Camp, a designated Suspension of Operations (SoO) camp of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and its affiliated groups.

In a post on X, the police said the 17 people—eight allegedly impersonating Kuki National Army (KNA) cadres and nine Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) cadres—had been found using false identities during verification. The operation, conducted on October 23, led to the seizure of 24 firearms, 38 magazines, a large quantity of ammunition, explosives, wireless communication equipment and other combat gear.

An FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act and the Explosive Substances Act. The 17 accused were remanded to eight days of police custody, until October 31. Their medical examinations have been completed, and further investigation is under way into the alleged involvement of camp functionaries, impersonation, unauthorised possession of arms and violations of SoO ground rules, the police said.

Militants ambushed 14 Meitei men collecting firewood in the Sunurok hills of Kangpokpi district on October 19, killing three of them.

Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam said on Friday that the SoO agreement with Kuki militant groups had expired in the first week of September and had not been extended. He cited public opposition to continuing the pact as a possible reason for the decision.

Konthoujam said both the state and central governments were concerned about public sentiment against extending the agreement.

The United People's Front (UPF) and the KNO, a conglomerate of 23 underground groups, signed an SoO agreement with the government on August 22, 2008. A total of 2,266 cadres belonging to the militant groups have been staying in designated camps in Manipur’s hill regions.

The majority Meitei community has opposed any extension of the SoO agreement with Kuki militant groups. The tripartite agreement with Kuki-Zo militant groups was extended last year.

On Friday evening, hundreds of protesters gathered at Kangla in Imphal for a mass demonstration organised by the Federation of Haomee as part of its statewide “clanging and shouting” protest against the crisis in Manipur. The protesters used traditional Kangla practices to express their anger over the killings.