Present Turmoil In Manipur: N.Biren Singh's Game of Throne

The present turmoil and chaos in the State of Manipur, particularly in the Meiteis’ Valley of Kangleipak, is just “a game of dice, but with different stakes.” While the common people gamble their lives and livelihoods, the king, kingmakers and his minions wrestle for power.

With the exception of the leaders of the Meitei radical groups, most of the Meitei people fail to comprehend the intricate power play orchestrated by the narcissist

N. Biren Singh and do not see the intriguing design of the dreaded ritual in which they are often used as “sacrificial lambs”. The people suffer in his game and the blame of their suffering is on the same sufferers. The loss of loved ones, charred houses and memories, the disappearances of livelihoods, the mental illnesses and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, the frustrations of a never ending uncertainty, etc., are all the collateral damages burned by the flame of N. Biren’s hypocrisy, jealousy, power hungry, indifference and ego. The end result would be the seasoned Meitei politicians to settle the game over a glass of wine inside their humongous houses as if all the destructions are made up of mud.

In the midst of this strife, the sufferers are giving their hard earned last pennies to buy guns and bullets to kill the same sufferers on the other side. And, the king makes them feel like they are contributing for the future generation of the land and its people. Recent events have exacerbated tensions, particularly the arrest of three key leaders of militant outfit by the National Investigative Agency on May 13, 2024. Though N. Biren Singh denies involvement, his tacit approval of the arrests speaks volumes about his political machinations.

It’s an open secret that N. Biren Singh and his allies, including the titular Meitei king, Leisemba Sanajaoba, patronize radical groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun to advance their political agendas. These alliances fuel hatred and division, endangering communal harmony. The latest instance of his mindless antithetical conduct was his private militias’ infamous Kangla Meeting called on January 24, 2024 wherein all the Meitei lawmakers were made to bow down before them, taking allegiance to the diktat of the Arambai Tenggol.

Moreover, N. Biren Singh’s divisive tactics extend to manipulating militant groups for short-term gains. By fostering rifts among factions like UNLF (P) and Arambai Tenggol, he seeks to consolidate his power. However, these maneuvers only sow further discord and instability. The two armed groups of Biren often fight among themselves on the subject -- ‘who gets more power’ over the Meiteis, which subsequently results in ‘conflict of interests’ between the two groups. Biren has now to choose between the two -- Arambai or UNLF(P).

To stay in the helms of Manipur affairs, amid rumours of him being proposed for the candidacy of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency by the BJP Central leadership, Biren direly needs the Arambai Tenggol goons more than the cadres of UNLF (P) as he has little control over the later even though the outfit is in peace agreement. Seeing the larger aspect of his political interest, he has to favour his private militia group over the well-established militant outfit- UNLF(P) that sticks to its founding principle. The recent arrest of the militants’ key leaders in a case related to “trans- national conspiracy against India” reeks of a plot to silence the outfit and give more power to his private radicalised groups.

Undoubtedly, the UNLF(P) leaders including its self-styled army chief, Thoiba @ Sidabamapu, were arrested in a case related to ‘transnational conspiracy by Myanmar-based leadership of militant outfits to wage a war against the Government of India by exploiting the current ethnic unrest in Manipur’. Sources revealed that leadership of insurgent groups based in Myanmar are recruiting overground workers, cadres and sympathizers to augment the strength to carry out attacks on security forces and opposing ethnic groups by exploiting the unrest in Manipur apart from collecting arms, ammunition and explosives.

After the agreement signed with Govt, on November 29, 2023, UNLF(P) have neither shared any information about the number of its cadre who were supposed to be kept in a secured area nor surrendered weapons. Instead they are occupying empty houses of Kuki people in Imphal area, they have brought their families from village and have occupied the houses, especially in Haokip veng, Paite Veng, Langol, Chassad Avenue, New Lambulane, etc.

Agencies have observed that the UNLF(P) cadres have been engaging in activities against both security forces and the public, involved in communal clash, open extortion from Govt offices and public, carrying of arms openly in public places and terrorising the public.

The UNLF was also involved in looting arms and ammunition from the 5th India Reserve Battalion (IRB) at Chingarel in Manipur East on February 13, 2024. Police had arrested six individuals, including two UNLF(P) cadre, and the case is now likely to be transferred to the CBI.

Though the arrested members are part of a group that had previously engaged in peace talks with the central government after signing a ceasefire agreement in November last year, officials said that the self-styled army chief never participated in the parleys with the central government.

Ironically, the peace talks with UNLF (P) seem to have remained confined to paper only as the state government has not finalised the rules of surrender and depositing of weapons by the banned terror group so far, the officials said. The terms of the pact

• which include monitoring of the armed cadres
• are not available to the central security agencies. Its cadres have been living with civilians as there are no designated camps; and no security agency has been nominated to track their movement and they have been involved in attacks in buffer zones where Kuki and Meitei populations merge.

The recent arrests by the NIA shed light on the complex web of political intrigue and militant activity in Manipur. Thokchom Shyamjai, Laimayum Anand Sharma, and Salam Ibomcha, key figures in UNLF (Pambei), stand accused of various offenses, highlighting the ongoing challenges facing the region. In this volatile landscape, the plight of ordinary citizens remains precarious. As political elites jockey for power, the people of Manipur continue to bear the brunt of their ambitions, caught in a cycle of violence and uncertainty.