Extortion cases rise again in Imphal; businessmen, govt employees, farmers queue up for arms licence

Cycle of violence 'fuelling insurgency' in Manipur. Rising extortion as well as the growing need for protection has led to a surge in arms licence applications, ThePrint has learnt.

Representative image | Security personnel stand guard as people wait to meet Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in Imphal amid a spurt in violence | ANI

New Delhi: As Manipur remains on edge following last year’s ethnic clashes between the non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities, the state has seen a resurgence of “extortion by armed men” — once “rampant across Imphal valley”, but which had shown a drop over the past few years following a decline in insurgency” — ThePrint has learnt.

This, as well as the “increasing need for protection” amid the violence, has prompted a surge in applications for arms licences among businessmen, government employees, contractors, and even farmers, among both Meitei and Pangals (Muslims), who live in the valley, intelligence sources told ThePrint.

According to the sources, several valley-based insurgent groups (VBIGs) and their volunteers are extorting money from valley residents on the pretext of “protecting the community from Kuki militants”. Their targets range from real estate entrepreneurs, school and hospital owners, hoteliers, and even small shopkeepers and restaurant owners, a source said.

Shaped like a bowl, geographically, Manipur is divided into the hill and valley areas. While the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley occupies the central region, the southern hills are primarily inhabited by the Kuki tribes, and the northern hills are home to the Nagas.

According to the officer quoted above, extortion had started to decline in 2003-04, with only a few cases being reported by 2017-18. But cases are now learnt to have gone up to previous levels.

“Extortion has become very rampant in the valley as the number of VBIGs have grown. There are many volunteers that they have inducted who are now physically extorting from businessmen, farmers, and even government servants. Earlier there were few incidents and these extortions happened over the phone but now it is happening physically,” the source said, adding that the groups have also started targeting “drug lords” for money and weapons.

According to the source, while many people are giving money to “serve their community”, there are people who are giving in out of fear of “social boycott”.

The insurgents, the source claimed, were also using dummy, or at times real, grenades to threaten people to give them money and “fund the fight”. Those who are unable to give money are asked to send young men to join the fight as volunteers, the source said.

“They are extorting money in the name of the Meitei cause. They tell their community that they have to strengthen themselves to fight the Kuki militants who are crossing over from Myanmar with sophisticated weapons and people give in,” a second source said. “What is dangerous is that people have started believing that these insurgents will save them. They have completely lost faith in the system,” the source said.

This, according to sources, is in contrast to the loss of public support for insurgents in the past few years.

The police have arrested over 28 people in connection with cases of extortion in the past three months and have also started a helpline, but many are still reluctant to lodge a formal complaint fearing their safety, the source said.

According to sources in the security establishment, radical revivalist group Arambai Tenggol, as well as VBIGs including the People’s Liberation Army (armed wing of the Revolutionary People’s Front), factions of the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, the Kangleipak Communist Party, the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup and factions of the United National Liberation Front are involved in such extortion in the Imphal valley.

The slow recovery of arms looted during the violence, and their availability in the black market, are further causes of concern, said sources.

ThePrint has reached director general of police Rajiv Singh over phone for comment on the rise in extortion cases and renewed public support for insurgents but did not receive a response till the time of publication of this report.

Manipur has been on the boil since 3 May, 2023, when festering ethnic tensions between the dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities erupted into full-fledged violence. Police data shows that the death toll so far stands at 205, while 50,000 people have been displaced.

Meitei insurgency in Manipur rose in the 1960s as a result of simmering discontent in the aftermath of the merger agreement between the erstwhile Manipur king, Maharaja Bodhachandra, and the Indian government in 1949. In 1964, the UNLF, the first and one of the most prominent insurgent groups, was founded.

In November 2023, the separatist UNLF signed a peace deal with the Indian and state government — a development that Home Minister Amit Shah termed as a “historic milestone”. However, a faction of the UNLF is still active, say intelligence sources.

‘Applications for arms on rise, issuance remains minimal’

A government official told ThePrint on condition of anonymity that they are now receiving over 400 arms licence applications a month on average — a significant increase from the 50-odd applications from before the violence.

“The applications have increased because people who earlier did not have a weapon, or did not care for one, are suddenly feeling the need to keep one for their safety,” the official said.

But not everyone gets a licence when they apply — according to this official, authorities have been “very careful” in assessing each application and have “kept the issuance of licenses to a bare minimum”.

“After violence began, the applications for arms licences have increased significantly. But we have not been issuing them. In fact, the arms issued in the past six months are almost negligible as we are extremely cautious about it keeping in mind the ongoing violence in the state,” he said.

While some applicants claim to require weapons due to an increase in extortion calls, others say they want it for “their own safety till the ‘civil war’ is on”. “They fear they may come under attack any time and should have a weapon to defend themselves,” the official said.

According to a third intelligence source, black marketing of weapons in Manipur, too, has become rampant.

“The weapons that were looted [from the police armoury during last year’s violence] are now in circulation and are also being sold in the black market. AK47s, SLRs, machine guns, all are up for sale. Not that there was any dearth of weapons here earlier, as a lot of it came from across the border as well, but since the demand is more, black marketing of weapons has also become a challenge,” the second intelligence source claimed.

‘A challenge and a dead end’

What makes the situation even more complex is the renewed support of the public for these underground groups who have become active again in Manipur, the third intelligence source said.

This support has hindered Manipur Police and security forces from recovering looted weapons, impeding significant operations or raids to arrest individuals linked to multiple FIRs filed since the outbreak of the violence, the source claimed, adding that the channel that provided intelligence inputs has completely “dried out”.

Although Manipur Police and security forces have been carrying out small-scale operations, they have proven to be inadequate, resulting in negligible recoveries, the source further added.

“No one cared about these groups earlier but since the violence has begun, and since these cadres became active again, they are getting a lot of support from the public. This is the reason why we have hit a dead end as far as weapon recoveries are concerned. Whatever minimal recovery is done by the police is with the help of surveillance and checks while most of the raids are not yielding results, the source said.

Nearly seven months have passed since 5,682 firearms were looted from police armouries and stations, primarily in the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley, but only 1,647 — 28.9 percent —  have been recovered, police data shows.

Likewise, only 22,368 of the 6.64 lakh ammunition taken then — a mere 3.36 percent — were traced, according to the data.

As a result, a significant amount of stolen arsenal remains in public circulation, thus exacerbating the cycle of violence. Data from hospitals across the state, accessed by ThePrint, is telling — bullet wounds account for the largest chunk of the 205 lives lost in the violence, it shows

According to security sources, evidence such as the types of cartridges used, firing patterns, and the extent of damage inflicted shows that gun violence is largely being perpetrated by locals using service weapons.

(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)