Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh speaks in the House during the State Assembly session, in Imphal, on September 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
GUWAHATI
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh told the State Assembly on Monday (September 7, 2026) that neither the “village volunteers” of the hills and the Imphal Valley, nor the Arambai Tenggol were banned organisations.
“Village volunteers” are armed civilian groups born out of the ethnic conflict that broke out between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities on May 3, 2023. The Imphal Valley-based Arambai Tenggol claims to be a sociocultural revivalist group, but security analysts have characterised it as a radicalised armed militia.
The Chief Minister said the State Government has been studying different cases of unlawful and criminal activities involving individuals during the conflict that left more than 300 people dead and displaced over 62,000 others.
Taking part in a short-duration discussion moved by opposition legislator K. Ranjit Singh, the Chief Minister said that the unprecedented violence compelled many youths to take up arms. “While some of them had good intentions, there could be others who are involved in criminal activities,” he said.
Cases are against individuals
He said the police did not take up cases against such individuals based on their affiliation to the village volunteers or the Arambai Tenggol, as the State Government has not banned these organisations. “The arrests are based on individual-level criminal activities,” he added.
He, however, said that the State Government could not withdraw criminal cases filed against individuals during the crisis that broke out more than three years ago. “The cases against individuals will be studied one by one, and it will take time,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the Manipur police were a very strong force in the past, but its morale plummeted following the unprecedented crisis that broke out more than three years ago. “The government is trying to strengthen the police force,” he said.
Taking part in the discussion, Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas reaffirmed the government’s 2024 decision not to prosecute individuals not involved in heinous crimes such as attacks on security forces, extortion, and murder.
Published – September 07, 2026 11:12 pm IST
