Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam said on Friday that the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki-Zo militant groups expired last month and had not been extended.
He said security forces would continue operations against armed groups, irrespective of their community, to restore peace in the state.
Talking to the media in Imphal, Govindas said: “The SoO agreement expired on September 4. I should say there is no SoO agreement in the state… so the violation of SoO ground rules does not arise, that is what I assume.”
Govindas’s statement assumes significance because of growing demands from leading Meitei-based organisations to abrogate the SoO pact, signed in 2008 with 25 Kuki-Zo militant outfits under two umbrella organisations — the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), comprising 17 outfits, and the United People’s Front (UPF), comprising eight outfits.
Meitei organisations have been demanding the abrogation of the tripartite pact since the outbreak of the ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos on May 3, 2023. The organisations accused the Kuki-Zo outfits of fanning the conflict, a charge that has been dismissed by the rebel outfits and Kuki-Zo organisations.
More than 260 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict between the Kuki-Zos and the Meiteis. The BJP-led state government had also unanimously adopted a resolution in 2024 calling for the abrogation of the pact.
The demand for abrogation has intensified following the killing of three Meitei villagers in Kuki-Zo-dominated Kangpokpi district on Monday.
Leading Naga organisations have also repeatedly raised the demand amid growing hostilities between the Naga and Kuki-Zo communities since March. More than 60 people from both sides have died, with Naga and Kuki-Zo organisations blaming militant outfits from the other community for their involvement in the ongoing unrest.
Sources said that although the Union home ministry, the Manipur government and Kuki-Zo rebel groups had met in August and renegotiated a one-year agreement with the umbrella organisations, the pact was not extended because the Centre wanted all arms to be surrendered before the extension. There was also sustained opposition from both Meitei and Naga organisations.
Commenting on the security operation at the Sinai SoO camp, Govindas said: “… Only 18 people were there, of whom one was identified as a SoO cadre belonging to the KNF. The other 17 are in police custody and will be formally arrested today. They will be interrogated to ascertain which organisations they belong to.”
Security forces launched the operation following the killing of the three Meitei men on Monday, which triggered widespread protests in the valley districts, including a 48-hour shutdown and multiple demonstrations demanding the arrest of those involved in the killings.
Police have apprehended three persons suspected of being linked to the killings, two of whom have “admitted” to their involvement in the attack.