Security forces in Manipur have intensified their arrests of militant cadres since July 2026, conducting operations across nearly every valley district and the Indo-Myanmar border belt in Tengnoupal. The operations have involved Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, the Indian Army, and other central security agencies, reflecting a coordinated counter-insurgency effort against multiple banned insurgent organizations active across the state. Alongside arrests, security forces have recovered firearms, explosives, ammunition, communication equipment, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), while also targeting alleged extortion networks, arms trafficking, and cross-border movement. The arrests, seizures, and security measures reported during this period point to one of the most sustained operational phases seen in Manipur in recent months, particularly as authorities increase vigilance ahead of India’s Independence Day on August 15.
On 8 July, Manipur Police detained Bela Oinam (25), an active cadre of KCP (Nongdrenkhomba), and Nawaz Khan (32), of UNLF (P), from Singjamei in Imphal West. A Maruti Suzuki Baleno allegedly linked to earlier kidnapping-for-ransom cases was also seized during the operation. A day later, police arrested Haobijam Bijeta Devi (40), a woman cadre of PREPAK, from the Wabagai Lamkhai area in Kakching district on extortion-related charges.
The pace of operations had already begun to increase by late July 2026. In coordinated operations, security forces arrested four active cadres belonging to the proscribed factions KCP (City Meitei) and UNLF (P). Alongside these arrests, simultaneous state-wide anti-narcotics and search drives resulted in the interception of significant contraband pipelines, including the seizure of 2.5 kilograms of suspected brown sugar. Authorities also recovered a locally made pompi gun, a 12-bore rifle, including a 9mm pistol with ammunition, hand grenades, and detonators. According to the Manipur Police, such operations formed part of ongoing efforts to disrupt militant activity, extortion networks, and the movement of arms and explosives across the state.
By 29 July, the crackdown had widened further. Moirangthem Sanjoy, alias Aya (33), was arrested in Imphal West’s North AOC area in connection with an earlier firing incident, with a .45-calibre pistol and five rounds of ammunition recovered from him. On the same day, Luwangthem Ronita Devi, alias Toro (24), an active KCP (Nongdrenkhomba) cadre, was arrested in Porompat, Imphal East.
Security operations intensified in late July, leading to more arrests linked to past attacks and cross‑border activity. Khunthoklemba Oinam (30), a KCP (PWG) cadre, was arrested on 31 July for allegedly throwing a hand grenade at a residence in Singjamei’s Yumnam Leikai three days earlier. The same day, Ningthoujam Nanao Meitei, alias Lanthongngakpa (41), of PREPAK (PRO), was detained in Imphal East on extortion charges. Separately, two PREPAK cadres were apprehended near the international border in Tengnoupal district on 30 July, while Sarangthem Rahul Singh, a self-styled second lieutenant of KCP (Noyon), was arrested in Kakching district on 31 July. Manipur Police described the combined operations as resulting in the arrest of five militants from three banned organizations.
August started with parallel arrests and significant weapons recoveries. On 1 August, security forces executed two separate operations across the valley districts. In Imphal West, authorities detained Wahengbam Mayday Singh, alias Loya (24), an active cadre of the proscribed Revolutionary People’s Front/People’s Liberation Army (RPF/PLA), at Awangkhunou Lamkhai. Meanwhile, in another raid in Imphal East, security forces apprehended Laishram Lakpati Singh (56), in Khongman Zone-III on charges of illegal arms trafficking, recovering a No. 36 hand grenade and ten live rounds of 9mm ammunition.
The same day, a cache containing a 9mm pistol, a double-barrel gun, six radio sets, and two grenades was recovered near Moreh in Tengnoupal district, while six IEDs discovered nearby were destroyed on site. In Chandel district, three KCP (MFL) cadres named Yumkhaibam Rojit (26), Khumanthem Bidyasagar (24), and Hemam Arun Singh (27), were arrested in Gamphazol village.
On 2 August, security forces arrested Lungthaukhon Panmei (32), a cadre of NSCN(K), along National Highway 37 in Tamenglong district, confiscating a Baofeng communication handset and financial evidence linked to illegal transit taxation. The seized items included 13 fraudulent tax memos and seven matching stamped tokens, both bearing the name of the ‘Government of the People’s Republic of Nagaland,’ alongside ₹2,800 in cash.
News reports on August 2 showed the scale of the crackdown, stating that security forces caught nine militants in a 24-hour period. These joint operations covered a wide area, targeting insurgent groups across Thoubal, Tamenglong, Kakching, Chandel, Imphal West, and Imphal East districts.
By 3 August, the arrest of eight additional militants was reported, including two women cadres, across Imphal West, Imphal East, and Bishnupur districts. The detainees were linked to KCP and the PLA/RPF and were accused of offences including kidnapping and extortion, described by police as the forcible collection of “subscriptions.” It remains unclear whether these eight arrests partially overlap with the nine-arrest figure reported the previous day. Security forces also recovered documents and materials allegedly linked to banned insurgent groups from those arrested, including extortion records, subscription receipts, official seals, letterheads, and cash.
In separate search operations in Thoubal and Tengnoupal districts, joint security teams seized a cache of weapons and ammunition that included INSAS rifles, an MP5 submachine gun, a SLR (FN FAL), two .303 rifles, multiple magazines, a smoke grenade, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. In another operation, Manipur Police arrested an alleged drug trafficker, Arun Datta (50), from Assam at a checkpoint in Senapati district, recovering a vehicle and approximately 80 grams of suspected brown sugar concealed in soap cases.
Alongside the arrests, 111 nakas (security checkpoints) had been established across Manipur’s valley and hill districts to monitor militant movement, while armed escorts continued to accompany commercial traffic along National Highway 37 (Imphal-Jiribam Road), a corridor repeatedly targeted for extortion and blockades since the ethnic conflict began in May 2023.
Therefore, these operations indicate that security forces have maintained consistent pressure on multiple insurgent groups in Manipur, with the recent surge in activity also coinciding with heightened security measures ahead of India’s Independence Day on August 15. The operations come more than three years after ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities erupted and several months after President’s Rule was imposed in the state amidst continued inter-ethnic violence.
These developments occur as Tatmadaw has sought to strengthen security and reassert state control along its side of the India-Myanmar border, where several ethnic armed organizations continue to operate. The parallel developments also follow repeated public assurances by Preisdent Min Aung Hlaing that Myanmar would not allow Indian insurgent groups to use its territory against India. The repeated arrests of cadres linked to KCP factions, PREPAK, PLA/RPF, UNLF(P), and NSCN(K), together with operations targeting alleged extortion networks, arms trafficking, and cross-border movement, suggest that Manipur’s intensified counter-insurgency operations are unfolding alongside broader efforts by both India and Myanmar to constrain insurgent activity, reflecting a parallel intelligence-led campaign to strengthen security along the shared frontier.
Armed Groups Referenced-
- KCP- Kangleipak Communist Party
- KCP (Nongdrenkhomba)- Kangleipak Communist Party – Nongdrenkhomba faction
- KCP (City Meitei)- Kangleipak Communist Party – City Meitei faction
- KCP (PWG)- Kangleipak Communist Party – People’s War Group
- KCP (Noyon)- Kangleipak Communist Party – Noyon faction
- KCP (MFL)- Kangleipak Communist Party – Military Force Line (commonly abbreviated as MFL)
- PREPAK- People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak
- PREPAK (PRO)- People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak – Progressive faction
- PLA- People’s Liberation Army (Manipur)
- RPF- Revolutionary People’s Front (political wing of the PLA)
- UNLF- United National Liberation Front
- UNLF (P)- United National Liberation Front – Pambei faction
- NSCN (K)- National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang faction)
Verification Note: The information in this report has been compiled from multiple credible sources and cross-checked for consistency. Data and reports have been used to corroborate events where possible. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, access limitations may prevent independent verification of all details.
Afiya Ibnath Ayshi is a Security and Strategic Reporting Fellow at Bangladesh Defence Journal. She covers defence, foreign affairs, and humanitarian issues, focusing on how regional and global developments influence Bangladesh’s security and diplomacy. A graduate in English from the University of Dhaka, she brings a research-based and balanced approach to her work.
