The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday declared several ‘Meitei’ extremism organisations as “unlawful associations” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to curb their “secessionist, subversive, terrorist and violent activities”.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central government hereby declares the Meitei extremist organisations, namely – the Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing, the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front (RPF), the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing, the Manipur Peoples’ Army (MPA), the Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing, the ‘Red Army’, the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing, also called the ‘Red Army’, the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), the Coordination Committee (CorCom) and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK) along with all their factions, wings and front organisations, as unlawful associations,” a notification issued by the MHA said.

The ban has been imposed for five years.

The Centre said these organisations have, as their professed aim, “establishment of an independent nation by secession of Manipur from India through armed struggle and to incite indigenous people of Manipur for such secession”.

The MHA, it said, is of the opinion that the Meitei extremist organisations have been,- “engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India”, “employing and engaging in armed means to achieve their aforesaid objectives”, “attacking and killing the security forces, the police and civilians in Manipur”, “indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion and looting of civilian population for collection of funds for their organisations”, “making contacts with sources abroad for influencing public opinion and for securing their assistance by way of arms and training for the purpose of achieving their secessionist objective”, “maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for the purpose of sanctuaries, training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition”.

The activities of these organisations are “considered detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India and that they are unlawful associations”, it added.