Arambai Tenggol, village volunteers did not ban the organization: Manipur CM

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 Imphal Hills and Valleys nor Arambai Tenggol were banned organisations.

The “Village Volunteers” are armed civilian groups born out of the ethnic conflict that erupted between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities on 3 May 2023. The Imphal Valley-based Arambai Tenggol claims to be a socio-cultural revivalist group, but security analysts characterize it as a radicalized armed militia.

The chief minister said the state government was studying various cases of illegal and criminal activities by individuals during the conflict that left more than 300 dead and displaced more than 62,000 others.

The Chief Minister, who participated in a brief discussion called by opposition lawmaker K. Ranjit Singh, said the unprecedented violence had prompted many youths to take up arms. “While some of them had good intentions, there could be others who are involved in criminal activity,” he said.

Cases are against individuals

He said the police had not opened cases against such individuals based on their affiliation with the Village Volunteers or Arambai Tenggol because the state government had not banned these organisations. “Arrests are based on individual criminal activity,” he added.

He, however, said the state government could not withdraw criminal cases filed against individuals during the crisis that erupted more than three years ago. “Cases against individuals will be studied one by one and it will take time,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that the Manipur Police was a very strong force in the past but its morale has plummeted after the unprecedented crisis that erupted more than three years ago. “The government is trying to strengthen the police force,” he said.

Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas, who attended the discussion, reaffirmed the government’s 2024 decision not to prosecute those not involved in heinous crimes such as attacks on security forces, extortion and murder.

Published – 07 Sep 2026 23:12 IST