GS Paper III
News Excerpt
Recently, The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the ban under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
- Ban is against eight “Meitei extremist organisations” for advocating secession of Manipur from India through armed struggle.
Key Points
- It declared the eight outfits as an "unlawful association" for pushing Manipur's indigenous people to secede.
- The outfits were referred to together as "Meitei Extremist Organizations" in the notification.
- The authorities designated the eight outfits an illegal association for ten years, beginning November 13, 2023.
- According to a senior government official, the eight organizations' involvement in the present ethnic violence in Manipur has also been discovered.
- According to a 2018 notification proclaiming the ban on the outfits, the groups were involved in 756 violent acts from January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2018, killing 86 people, including 35 security personnel.
About Such Organizations
- The eight organisations are-
- the 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).
Reason for the Extension of Ban
- The Central government is of the opinion that the outfits have been engaging in activities-
- Prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India;
- Employing and engaging in armed means to achieve their objectives, attacking and killing the security forces, police and civilians in Manipur;
- Indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion and looting of civilian population for collection of funds;
- Making contacts with sources abroad for influencing public opinion and for securing their assistance by way of arms and training for the purpose of achieving their secessionist objective and maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for the purpose of sanctuaries,
- Training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition.
- The Central Government believes that the organizations' activities are harmful to India's sovereignty and integrity, and that they are illegal associations.
What will happen if Ban was not extended
- If there is no immediate curb and control the activities-
- They intend to "mobilize their cadres for escalating their secessionist, subversive, terrorist, and violent activities;
- Propagate anti-national activities in collaboration with forces hostile to India's sovereignty and integrity;
- Engage in killings of civilians and targeting of police and security force personnel."
- Procure and transport illicit weaponry and ammunition across international borders; and
- Extort and collect large sums of money from the people for their illegal actions.
