Manipur: Dormant terror groups becoming active, stoking tension
The warning has come after a Lt Colonel of the army was injured last week during a standoff with a group of people, including Meira Paibis (women vigilantes), who attempted to attack tribals at Molnoi village near Pallel in Tengnoupal district but were stopped by the army and Assam Rifles.
During the stand-off, a bullet hit Lt Col Raman Tyagi in his hand, an incident that led to a crackdown on the protesters who were determined to march towards the tribal village.
Lt Col Tyagi had to be airlifted from Manipur to Guwahati where he underwent surgery, the officials said.
He was earlier evacuated to a military hospital in Leimakhong by a helicopter, after which he was shifted to neighbouring Assam for specialised treatment.
The investigation into the incident led the security agencies to conclude that the terrorists of the banned groups were part of the crowd, they said.
The officials said they had been warning for the past few weeks about the resurgence of near dormant banned groups like UNLF, PLA, Kanglei Yawol Kanba Lup (KYKL) and People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) in the state.
They said that at present UNLF had a cadre strength of 330 followed by PLA with 300 and KYKL with 25 who were active within the groups of the majority community.
The overwhelming support being extended to cadres of these banned organisations was witnessed on June 24, when Army and Assam Rifles, based on specific intelligence, nabbed 12 members of KYKL in East Imphal including self-styled 'Lt Colonel' Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam.
Uttam was one of the masterminds of the ambush on 6 Dogra regiment in 2015 that left 18 army soldiers dead.
The UNLF has in the past been largely involved in extortion targeting contractors and
