Indian Issue : Manipur

Insurgent groups in Manipur are also classified as Very Active and stem largely from the delay in statehood. The Indian state of Manipur, stretching along the border with Burma (Myanmar), centres on a vast lowland area watered by the lake system south of its capital Imphal. Manipur was not a Part of India. It was forcibly annexed by India. In 21 September 1949 the king of Manipur was forced to sign the Marger Agreement. Majority people of Manipur every year protest against this so-called merger agreement. The revolutionary parties of Manipur like UNLF, RPF are engaged now in armed national liberation struggle to liberate Manipur from Indian colonial occupation. They want to reestablish Manipur as an Independent country. This almost forgotten country is home to the Meiteis, Nagas, Kukis and other small ethnic groups.

Manipur Demography

Manipur is the ancestral territory of the Manipuri people. Manipur is presently under Indian colonial rule. It is situated in the north-east corner of India and bounded in the east by Myanmar (Burma). The present territorial area is 22,327 sq.km. It lies within 23.83 degree N to 25.68 degree E latitude and 93.03 degree E to 94.48 degree E longitude. A fertile alluvial valley extends north-south in the middle and it is surrounded on all sides by hi ranges forming a part of the eastern Himalayas. Though constituting only about 12 p.c. of the total geographical area, the valley is settled by more than 75 p.c. of the total population of 1.8 million (1991 Census).

The royal chronicle Cheitharol Kumbaaba maintains an uninterrupted historical record of the land and its people since 33 A.D. Throughout the history, the valley was, and continues to be, the core region where the distinctive Manipuri culture and way of life took shape and where political developments having repercussions throughout the Indo-Burma region often originated.

Among the Manipuris, the Meiteis form the predominant ethnic group and they traditionally inhabit the valley. The surrounding hill ranges are settled by many tribes. They are broadly grouped together and known as the NAGA and the KUKI tribes. While the Meiteis thrive on wet cultivation, the tribal population subsist largely on the slash-and-burn technique of cultivation and depend heavily on the valley for their needs. In recent decades, however, the steady influx of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent into the hill areas and into parts of the valley and also the internal migration of tribes from the valley, have disturbed the traditional settlement patterns and demographic balance both in the hills and the valley of Manipur.

History of Manipur

Insurgent Groups

Peoples Liberation Army: The Peoples Liberation Army is a leftist organization formed in 1978 with the aim of liberating Manipur from India.
UNLF: The United National Liberation Front was created in 1964 and demands an independent socialist state of Manipur.