New Delhi: Around 46 active cadres of the Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group)—a banned militant organisation—surrendered to Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh Tuesday, in a major breakthrough in the fight against separatism in India’s Northeast.
“In a major security breakthrough poised to usher in a stable and development-oriented era, a profound turnaround has been achieved in Manipur. On 21 July 2026, 46 active cadres of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) surrendered to the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Y. Khemchand Singh, at the Mantripukhri Garrison, HQ Assam Rifles (South) in the Imphal East district,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement Tuesday.
The Spokesperson for the MoD Manipur, Nagaland and Southern Arunachal Pradesh added that the 46 individuals “voluntarily laid down 28 sophisticated weapons consisting of AK rifles, .303 rifles, pistols, double-barrel rifles, single-barrel rifles, INSAS rifles…carbine machine guns and a rocket propelled grenade launcher.”
They also surrendered large quantities of ammunition, magazines and explosives.
“This mass transition is highly significant as none of these cadres were part of prior peace agreements. It directly addresses the legacy of the KCP, founded on 14 April 1980 by communist ideologues Y. Ibohanbi and Ibopishak.
“Over the decades, ideological decay fractured the group into numerous entities. The People’s War Group (PWG) faction emerged as a highly disruptive splinter unit, severely impacting valley districts including Imphal East, Imphal West and Kakching through anti-social and anti-national activities,” the statement added.
The MoD made it clear that while the voluntary surrender of these 46 individuals would not mark the “absolute dissolution” of the PWG faction of the KCP, it, however, severely “degrades” their ability to carry out further attacks.
The Kangleipak Communist Party was originally founded in 1980, with the aim of the secession of the state of Manipur from India. Kangleipak is the historical name of the state in the Meitei language. While it maintains the term “communist” the proscribed organisation is focused on the preservation of the Meitei culture, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP).
The founder of the organisation Y Ibohanbi was killed in 1995 during a security operation. The KCP split subsequently into a number of factions, including the PWG faction. The KCP’s activities were mainly carried out in the valley areas of Manipur, though it existed in the hill districts as well, according to the SATP.
Different factions of the KCP have also been involved in the disturbances witnessed in Manipur since 2023. Individuals linked to the KCP (Noyon) faction were slapped with charges under the UAPA, after they allegedly looted police armouries in the early days of ethnic strife in the North East state.
Clashes erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur in May 2023. The ethnic conflict has continued for over three years, with periods of relative calm punctuated by sporadic violence that has left hundreds dead and displaced tens of thousands.
Former chief minister N. Biren Singh from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) resigned in February 2025 and President’s Rule was later imposed in the state. Y Khemchand Singh assumed the role of chief minister in February 2026.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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