Guwahati: The situation in trouble-torn Imphal valley was tense but under control on Monday as security sources confirmed the arrest of four Arambai Tenggol leaders including its mentor and commander Karan Singh, a former Manipur Police head constable by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in last year’s ethnic violence.
The CBI sources also confirmed that Singh was transferred to Guwahati and will be produced in court for remand. Four of his associates were also detained. However, state police were tight-lipped about the arrest of Karan Singh.
The arrests triggered immediate backlash on Sunday in Imphal valley. Angry protesters set vehicles ablaze, blocked roads with burning tyres, and clashed with security forces in multiple locations.
Defying prohibitory orders, demonstrators torched a police post in Yairipok, burned tyres, and dug up roads to hinder security movement. Security forces responded with tear gas shells, leaving at least 11 people injured. A bus belonging to central forces was also set on fire in Imphal East district.
The Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei outfit, was demanding the immediate release of all detained members and announced a 10-day state-wide shutdown. The group has previously faced allegations of inciting violence, including the abduction of a senior police officer last year—although Singh was later released unharmed.
Meanwhile, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Monday held a review meeting with security officials to take stock of the situation as protests were reported from various parts of the state.
Security sources said that a multi-party delegation of over 25 legislators also met the governor along with Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba on Sunday to seek his intervention into the rising unrest in Imphal Valley after the arrests of five members of the Meitei group, Arambai Tenggol.
The Governor assured the delegation, which included MLAs from both the BJP and the Congress, that “all necessary steps are being taken to address the concerns and to restore normalcy”.
Following the latest round of protests, the state administration has imposed prohibitory orders and suspended internet services in five districts of the Imphal valley.
The Manipur Congress, meanwhile, sought the arrests of former home minister and senior police officials in connection with the violence cases.
“Kanan Singh was arrested in connection with a case being investigated by CBI and was not picked up for being a member of Arambai Tenggol. We urged the authorities concerned to release the five without any conditions. On the contrary, we requested them to arrest the then home minister, then DGP and other authorities of the then government,” Congress legislator Th Lokeshwar told reporters after meeting the governor.
Congress MLA Okram Surjakumar, who was also part of the delegation, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating situation. “The arrest of five Arambai Tenggol members has thrown the state into chaos, curfews have been imposed, internet services are suspended, and blockades have emerged at multiple locations,” he said.
