CBI Arrests Arambai Tenggol Member In Manipur Violence Case, Tension Escalates

Guwahati: Amid fresh unrest again in Manipur that lead the imposition of prohibitory orders in five districts after the arrest of a top Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei group members by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

CBI has arrested a member of Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei group, in connection with a series of criminal activities linked to the ethnic violence that rocked the state in 2023.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the CBI confirmed the arrest but did not disclose the identity of the individual. The agency stated that the arrested person had been taken to Guwahati and would be produced before a court there.

“The information of his arrest has been conveyed to his family members,” the statement added.

The central agency is probing multiple cases related to the Manipur ethnic violence following directives from the Supreme Court.

Given the fragile law-and-order situation in the state, the trial of these cases has been shifted from Manipur to Guwahati.

According to reports, the arrested person has been identified as one Kanan. Following the arrest of Kanan, his wife Asem Guni, told the press that her husband had joined the "public defence effort at the onset of the ongoing ethnic conflict only to protect the state and its territorial integrity"

Meitei group Arambai Tenggol, on June 8, announced a 10-day bandh in response to the violent protest that erupted on the night of May 7 over the arrest of its leader.

The protest has led to fresh tension in the state, prompting authorities to suspend internet and mobile data services — including VSAT and VPN connections — across five valley districts: Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching.

The suspension aims to curb the spread of misinformation and inflammatory content on social media.

Prohibitory orders have also been imposed in these five districts, with a total curfew enforced in Bishnupur district.

The arrest has triggered fresh tensions in the state, prompting Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to convene a high-level security review meeting at Raj Bhavan on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by top officials, including the Security Advisor, Director General of Police, Commissioner (Home), Secretary to the Governor, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), IGAR (South), Inspector General of CRPF, and other senior administrative personnel.

According to an official statement, the meeting involved a comprehensive review of the prevailing law-and-order situation and discussed measures to restore peace.

Later in the day, a delegation of MLAs called on Governor Bhalla to express their concerns about the growing unrest and appealed for urgent intervention.

“The Governor informed the delegation that all necessary steps are being taken to address the situation and ensure normalcy returns to the state,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, defying prohibitory orders, protests continued at different parts of Imphal valley districts with demonstrators burning tyres at the middle of the road at Uripok, Koirengei in Imphal West district and Khurai in Imphal East district.

Similar protests were also held in Jiribam district neighbouring Assam. At Koirengei, protesters dug up the road and piled heaps of soil to prevent movement of security forces.