Meitei group Arambai Tenggol relaxes bandh call in Manipur

Imphal, Jun 10 (PTI) Meitei organisation Arambai Tenggol on Tuesday announced that it would relax its 10-day Manipur bandh call given three days ago to protest the arrest of a senior leader of the group as well as against lodging of cases against by security agencies.

Manipur has been witnessing protests for the past few days as demonstrators defied prohibitory orders and clashed with security forces across several districts of Imphal valley demanding unconditional release of the arrested Arambai Tenggol leader Asem Kanan Singh and four others.

“We had called for a 10-day bandh, but we are relaxing it from today. Using Arambai Tenggol’s name, several anti-social elements were engaged in unwanted activities including physical assaults during the period of the bandh,” PRO of the organization, Robin Mangang Khwairakpam, told reporters.

He said that after NIA, CBI and police lodged multiple FIRs against Arambai Tenggol and arrested Asem Kanan Singh, the group was forced to call the bandh to protest such developments.

Khwairakpam also rejected the perception that Arambai Tenggol is an armed group.

"We are not an armed group but a socio-cultural organisation dedicated to uplifting our religion. However, we were forced to take up arms to save the land after illegal Kuki immigrants waged war on us," he said.

Ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur left at least 260 people dead and rendered thousands homeless since May 2023. The northeastern state is under President’s Rule now. PTI COR NN