Kuki-Zo insurgent camp taken over by CRPF in Manipur among two to be relocated under MHA deal

Sinai, the designated Kuki-Zo insurgent camp in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district that was raided by the security forces, is one of two camps run by Kuki-Zo insurgent groups that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Manipur government want relocated as per a new agreement signed in 2025. The October 23 raid had led to the arrest of 17 people,

There are 24 Kuki-Zo insurgent groups under the umbrella of the United Peoples’ Front (UPF) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), which signed a suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the MHA and the Manipur government in 2008, after the Kuki-Naga clashes of the 1990s when hundreds were killed. The pact was periodically extended till February 2024, when the Manipur government refused to extend it, in the wake of the ethnic violence that broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo people on May 3, 2023.

The SoO was then signed afresh on September 4, 2025, with new terms and conditions after renewed tensions in the State, with ethnic violence extending between the Naga and Kuki communities. The new SoO agreement says the KNO and UPF shall have six camps each, instead of the 14 total camps presently. The camps must be located away from populated areas, national highways, and areas vulnerable to conflict, and at a reasonable distance from the Myanmar border as well as inter-State boundaries.

‘Impersonating registered cadres’

In a “surprise raid” on October 23, a joint team of Manipur police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Assam Rifles had found only 18 people at the Sinai camp, against the sanctioned strength of 150. According to police, the “17 individuals were found impersonating registered SoO cadres using false identities.” The camp is now under the custody of the CRPF.

The Sinai camp is close to Nongshum, a hilly area near the border between the Meitei-majority Imphal East and the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi districts, where three Meitei villagers were killed on October 19.

‘Centre must intervene’

KNO spokesperson Seilen Haokip told The Hindu that the 18 KNO members taken into custody have been present at the Sinai camp for the past ten years, adding that their presence has been acknowledged by security forces who came for inspection in the past.

“We know that this camp has been taken over by the CRPF under the State government’s pressure. The weapons that have been confiscated are all authorised registered weapons permitted for Camp protection - there is no surrender clause in the SoO agreement,” he said, adding that “the Centre needs to intervene in the matter.”

The presence of ‘listed and non-listed cadre’ is not the essential criterion, he said, as the essence of the agreement is dialogue. “The SoO agreement needs to be viewed in comparison with Centre’s agreements with other groups not bound by similar restrictions of ‘listed or not listed cadres’ responsible for offensives against Kuki SoO groups,” Mr. Haokip said. He admitted that some of the cadres at Sinai were not part of the 2008 list, but said they comprise original members who cannot be abandoned by the SoO groups.

“The main issue in the current scene is the killing of three Meitei in the forest within a Tangkhul village. There has been a relative absence of violence of late between Kukis and Meiteis and the current incident may have been engineered. The KNO cadres were categorically not involved. Why would they, given that strategically it would be against their interest in view of proxy war by the NSCN-IM?” he asked, in a reference to the Isak-Muivah faction of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland, a Naga insurgent group.

‘SoO camps not untouchable’

A senior government official said that since the SoO has not been extended, the raid at the Sinai camp would set a precedent.

“SoO camps till now were untouchable, but from now, we expect adherence to ground rules. As per our record, 159 cadres were supposed to be at Sinai. However, only one out of 18 people found at the time of the raid was authorised to be there,” the government official said.

The Manipur police said that 24 firearms, 38 magazines, and large quantity of ammunition, explosives, wireless communication equipment, and other combat gear were seized. It added that further investigation is underway regarding the involvement of camp functionaries, impersonation, the unauthorised possession of arms, and violations of SoO ground rules.