Manipur: After Peace Deal, Cadres Of Breakaway Faction Of Maoist Militant Outfit Abjure Violence

The senior leaders of the NRFM operated from its bases in a neighbouring country and were involved in large-scale violence and extortion in various parts of the Manipur valley.

Manipur CM N. Biren Singh with UNLF general secretary Chabungbam Thanil during the signing of the peace agreement. ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Following the recent signing of the peace agreement between Manipur’s oldest insurgent group United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the government of India, and the Manipur government last month, around 25 leaders and cadres of the National Revolutionary Front Manipur (NRFM) have joined the mainstream. The NRFM, another valley-based militant group of the state led by Major Boicha, vice chief of army staff of the underground outfit, joined the UNLF along with 25 weapons.

With this, most of the outfit’s members have now taken a step towards abjuring the path of violence. The development is likely to give momentum to efforts of the government to restore peace and normalcy in the insurgency-hit northeastern state of Manipur, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a press release.

The NRFM, earlier known as the United Revolutionary Front (URF), was formed on September 11, 2011, by the cadres of three factions of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), a Maoist militant group operating in Manipur, the MHA said in the release.

The senior leaders of the NRFM operated from its bases in a neighbouring country and were involved in large-scale violence and extortion in various parts of the Manipur valley. The development is likely to encourage other valley-based underground outfits to join the peace process and democratically pursue their demands besides giving a boost to fulfill the Centre's vision of an insurgency-free and prosperous northeast, the MHA release added.  

In a historic move, the Union and the Manipur government on November 29, 2023, signed a peace pact with the banned UNLF in New Delhi. The UNLF, formed on November 24, 1964, had been operating both within and outside the Indian Territory till the signing of the peace agreement.

The peace agreement was signed in the national capital by senior officials of the MHA, the Manipur government, and representatives of the UNLF.

After signing the peace pact, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that a historic milestone has been achieved.