Meitei civil society organisation Arambai Tenggol (AT), on January 24, organized a meeting at Kangla, the sacred heart of Manipur, where 36 Meitei legislators and two MPs assembled and took an oath to safeguard the state. The legislators from both the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress, also signed a proposal to protect the state and work for its unity. Later Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who did not attend the meeting at Kangla also signed the document.
The meeting was convened in response to the recent killings of four Meitei woodcutters, a village defence volunteer, and two police commandos by suspected insurgents. The AT had invited the Meitei legislators to bury their political differences in these crucial times and pray and work together to protect Manipur, reeling under ethnic violence for nearly nine months.
Thousands of people, including youth, women's groups and students gathered at Kangla to attend the meeting. The total number of volunteers of AT is estimated to be between 50,000 to 80,000 though there is no official confirmation. A video circulating on social media captured the moment when MLAs and ministers, against the backdrop of the Kangla Utra temple, took an oath, symbolizing their commitment to the people of Manipur. AT’s chief Korounganba Khuman asserted that the objective was to remind elected members of their responsibility to fulfil the wishes of the people.
The AT outlined the following demands in the meeting:
1. Implementation of NRC with 1951 as the base year.
2. Abrogation of Suspension of Operation (SoO).agreement with Kuki militants.
3. Deportation of all Myanmarese refugees.
4. Border fencing.
5. Replacement of Assam Rifles with other Central forces.
6. Removal of illegal Kuki immigrants from the Scheduled Tribe list.
Addressing the crowd, Khuman announced that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured measures to control Kuki militants under Suspension of Operation (SoO). A special three-member team of the Union Home Ministry came to Imphal on January 23 and held talks with the AT.
Meanwhile, 35 MLAs including leaders from the Naga tribes have asked the Centre to scrap the SoO agreement with 25 Kuki insurgent groups. If this demand is not met, the leaders would take “appropriate action” after consulting the people, they said. Under the SoO agreement, the insurgents are housed in designated camps where arms are kept under double lock. There have been allegations that members of the SoO camps have been involved in the ongoing violence in Manipur.