Imphal
Photos: PLA publicity wing
The oldest and one of
the most powerful rebel outfits of Manipur, the People’s Liberation
Army (PLA), the armed wing of the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front (RPF),
which is waging a bloody war against the Centre, has rejected any
negotiated settlement under the framework of the Indian Constitution
once again. This comes close on the heels of a plea by Manipur Chief
Minister Okram Ibobi Singh to the rebel outfit to shun violent means and
invited it to come forward for dialogue.
In a statement on the 34th Raising Day of the
outfit, PLA president Irengbam Chaoren strongly reacted against recent
efforts from the Centre and the state to send out feelers to armed
organizations, operating in the Northeast, to abjure violence and come
out for negotiated settlement within the Indian Constitution.
Chaoren said that there cannot be any
settlement within the Indian Constitution to resolve the sovereignty
issue of the Northeast region. The PLA leader also urged armed groups
from the region, which are engaged in peace talks, to join a united
fight for a sovereign Northeast while sidelining the ceasefire from the
government as a mere dragnet to suppress the aspiration of the people.
Touching on the ongoing demands by the Nagas of
Manipur for an alternative political arrangement for them outside of
the Manipur government, the PLA leader said that an “alternative
arrangement” could not justify the oppressions and suppressions being
perpetrated by the Indian Government against the people of Northeast
including the Nagas. Also, lamenting the present Manipur government’s
propensity to be a puppet of the Centre, Chaoren seeked people’s support
to impeach the current government citing that it is not just the Nagas
who are reeling under the repressive rule, but all communities residing
in the state were undergoing the same misery.
Meanwhile, the PLA has initiated a major
offensive against a team of Manipur police commandos on the outskirts of
Imphal East district on Monday, a day before its 34th Raising Day. The
attack was significant considering the fact that the outfit had earlier
declared that it will not attack personnel of the state security forces.
The attack was carried out near the Yambem
Lambi Dam at Andro in Imphal East against a patrol team of the Imphal
East Police commandos using high intensity explosives following which
the police also retaliated. However, no casualty was reported from the
encounter except for some minor damages on the police vehicle.
Meanwhile, the PLA while taking responsibility for the attack claimed
that the attack was carried out in retaliation of an ongoing counter
operation against cadres of the outfit while cautioning the state police
commandos for excessive counter insurgency activities.
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In a press release, the PLA has also alleged
that the IG Assam Rifles-South has lined up a fake surrender ceremony.
It claimed that in a ceremony to be held during the next 2-3 days, the
Assam Rifles and the Manipur government will felicitate the surrender of
over 50 fake underground groups that includes several persons who were
paraded in earlier surrender functions. While cautioning the public of
such fake achievements of the Indian Army, the outfit also warned the
surrendered militants to stay away from the booby trap of the army and
the state police which usually end with fake encounter, the outfit
alleges.
The PLA was raised in 1978 on 25 September by N
Bisheshwar Singh. It was the first organisation from Manipur to have
been trained by the China's People Liberation Army at Lhasa in the ’80s.
Since its founding, it has been waging guerrilla-based warfare against
the Indian Armed Forces and has targeted the Indian Army, Central
Paramilitary Forces and the State Police Force. However, during the late
’90s, it declared a unilateral decision not to target the Manipur
Police. Estimated strength of PLA is suspected to be around 5000.
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