Manipur: Centre constitutes tribunal to adjudicate ban on Meitei extremist organisations

Guwahati: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a tribunal under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which includes Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi at Gauhati High Court, for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for banning the Meitei Extremist Organizations of Manipur.

Recently, nine Meitei extremist organisations were banned by the ministry on November 13 for their “secessionist, subversive, terrorist and violent activities”.

These organisations are — Peoples’ Liberation Army generally known as PLA, and its political wing, the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front (RPF), the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples’ Army (MPA), the Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing, the “Red Army”, the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing, also called 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 front organisations.

A notification issued by MHA said on Tuesday, “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 central government is of the view that these organisations are indulging in attacks on security forces, police and civilians in Manipur, and are involved in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.

MHA said these organisations have, as their professed aim, “establishment of an independent nation by the secession of Manipur from India through armed struggle and to incite indigenous people of Manipur for such secession”.