Northeast Frontier Railway

The above pic is a recent railway map of Assam. From a recent news report:

At present, there is a network of only 2,447-km rail line in the entire north-eastern region, which accounts for 4 per cent of the national network. Of the total railway network, about 97 per cent is in Assam and 2 per cent in Tripura. Therefore, a very accelerated programme of rail connectivity is required to provide the basic infrastructure capacity for the NE to realize its economic potential. At present, there is a plan to connect Itanagar and Agartala during the 11th Plan whereas Aizawl, Imphal and Kohima would be connected during the 12th Plan, the sources said, and added that Shillong and Gangtok were expected to be connected in the 13th Plan. According to the sources, India is going to construct the Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) line to connect Tripura to the Bangladesh railway network. It has been decided that the projects of the Railways designated as national projects will be supported by the Government of India in the ratio of 75-25. It has also been decided to create a fund for development of rail infrastructure in the north-eastern region.

So here is a Know Your Northeast Frontier Railway Primer.

1) Headquarters: Maligaon in Guwahati,
2) Established: The railway zones of the Indian Railways were reorganized in the year 1953. During this time, Avadh - Tirhut Railway and Assam Railway were coalesced to create North Eastern Railway. Later in 1958 (Jan 15), Northeast Frontier Railway was created out of the North Eastern Railway.
3) Divisional headquarters: Alipurduar, Katihar, Lumding, Rangiya and Tinsukia
4) Issues: Pre-partition Indian Railways had linked the North-East and the present-day Bangladesh as an organic whole. Partition resulted in complete severance of this logical link. The truncated network of the North-East stood woefully incomplete and unconnected. See more of the Pre-partition history at Linky 1 and Linky 2.

The Indian Railways addressed this problem immediately and in right earnest. The Assam Rail Link project was completed in 1950 providing a meter gauge (MG) rail link to Assam. But the journey involved transhipment and ferry crossing both for passengers and for freight. The broad gauge (BG) link was extended in phases to Guwahati between 1965 and 1985. Two massive bridges on the mighty Branhmaputra at Kamakhya and Jogighopa and later extension of a BG link up to Dibrugarh and Lekhapani finally made it possible to travel to the North-East.

5) Past achievements:
a) Track linking project in Agartala-Jogendranagar-Jirania-Brigudaspara
b) Katihar-Jogbani GC Project
c) Senchoa-Silghat GC project
d) Siliguri Diesel Shed
e) Sick line shed and freight examination facilities at New Bongaigaon

6) Freight traffic composition (from Linky):
Three broad categories — coal, petroleum products and other cargoes — each having almost equal share
In 2008-09 and 2007-08 (in million tons):
a) Coal - 4mt 4.8mt
b) Petroleum - 3.5mt 3.8mt
c) Foodgrains - 0.876mt
d) Bamboo - 0.503mt
e) Dolomites - 0.306mt
f) Cement - 0.176mt
g) Fertilizers - 0.133mt

7) Heritage projects:
a) 120km long Mahur–Harangajao hill section in North Cachar Hill district (now called Dima Hasao district) of Assam
b) 10km long Siliguri—Bagdogra section in West Bengal
c) Heritage park called the Rail Heritage Park-cum-Museum at New Tinsukia station in eastern Assam at the confluence of two historic railway systems — Dibru Sadiya Railway (DSR) and Assam Bengal Railway (ABR), which were linked at Tinsukia on March 1, 2003. The museum showcases DSR and ABR along with a gallery on the unique Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). The DHR is the famous 610 mm-wide narrow gauge railway that snakes up the Himalayas from Siliguri to Darjeeling for 88 km and is a World Heritage Site, as recognised by UNESCO since November 2, 1999. The still-operational DHR was made operational in 1881 across one of the most scenic mountainous terrains of the world by virtue of ingenuous engineering solutions.
d) Century-old Cooch Behar railway station in West Bengal is a heritage structure

8) Ongoing major projects (from Linky):
In Assam:
a) Gauge conversion Lumding-Silchar (201.03km), Arunachal-Jiribam (50.39km), Badarpur-Kumarghat (117.82km) segments, Hill section of 151km and Plain section of 217km, sanctioned in 1996-97, declared National Project in 2004 (meaning 75% funding will be met by the Ministry of Finance, GoI and remaining 25% by Ministry of Railways), Hill section is confronted with the constraints of short working season (November-April), militancy (NC Hills area has been under the spell of DHD and KLNLF), difficult terrain, limited contractors, non-availability of raw material and skilled labour, bad condition of roads and bridges resulting into frequent interruptions in man and material movement and land acquisition resulting into interruptions by several departments and interest groups
b) Rail cum road Bridge over river Brahmaputra at Bogibeel with linking lines on North and South Bank - 74km, National Project, sanctioned in 1997-98, expected to be completed by 2014 (around 90% of work done in earthwork, minor as well as major bridges, no tunnels needed), need to complete Dibrugarh Guide-I in one working season otherwise it will be washed away in the monsoon season, project delayed due to extortion attempts and security threats by militants and meagre allotment of funds through 2005-06
c) Completion of 142km Jogighopa-Guwahati and the Bridge at Jogighopa

In Tripura:
a) New broad gauge line Agartala-Sabroom (110km), Sabroom is 75km from Chittagong International Airport in Bangladesh, a small bridge over river Feni can connect Sabroom and Khagrachari (in BD) -- the second such link after the Kolkota-Dhaka rail line, sanctioned in 2008, delay by State Government to hand over land and resistance by villagers
b) New line connecting Agartala with Akhaurah (in BD) - 5km
c) Kumarghat-Agartala meter gauge line project - 109km, foundation stone laid in 1996, project complete and line commissioned by October 2008, three big tunnels through the Longtharai Valley, Baramura and Atharamura Hills in Dhalai and West Tripura districts, 1,962-metre Longtharai tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in eastern India

In Manipur:
a) Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal - 84km in place of the Diphu-Karong project (123 km) connecting Brahmaputra valley with Manipur valley which was frozen for strategic reasons, National Project, sanctioned in 2003-04, Jiribam-Tupul expected to be completed in 2014 and Tupul-Imphal in 2016, survey took five years to complete due to insurgency, frequent bandhs, hilly terrain, economic blockades in NH39 and NH53, poor/non-existent feeder roads to reach interior project sites, weak bridges and poor road conditions to transport heavy machinery and material not possible from Silchar side, and NH39 not available due to blockades.

In Arunachal-Upper Assam:
a) New broad gauge line from Harmuti-Naharlagun-Itanagar - 22km, project sanctioned in 1996-97, detailed estimate sanctioned in January 2008 for the Harmuti-Naharlagun segment, the other segment's estimate sent to the Railway Board, approx 10% of work on major bridges done, no tunnels required, delay in land acquisition by Government of Assam, dispute of ownership of land at State boundary between Arunachal and Assam

In Sikkim-North Bengal:
a) New broad gauge line from Siliguri-Sevok-Rangpo-Ranipool near Gangtok, 52.70km, National Project, sanctioned in 2008-09, expected to be completed in 2016, detailed estimate under process with the Railway Board
b) Gauge conversion New Jalpaiguri-Siliguri-New Bongaigaon (417km)

9) Other major/minor projects in the works:
a) New line from Dimapur to Kohima (Zubza)
b) New BG line from Bhairabi to Sairang
c) New BG line from New Maynaguri to Jogighopa - 265.7km
d) New BG line from Azara to Byrnihat
e) New BG line from Eklakhi to Balurghat (113km) and Gazole to Itahar
f) Dudhnoi to Depa (Mendipathar) - 18km
g) New BG line from Araria to Galgalia (Thakurganj)
h) New BG line from Kishanganj to Jalalgarh
i) Gauge conversion Katihar-Jogabani (200km)
j) Gauge conversion Lumding-Dibrugarh including branch lines (628km)
k) Gauge conversion Katakhat-Bhairabi (84km)

In short:
1) Tripura's trade future seems to lie in close-knit cross-border ties with Bangladesh. This writing on the wall + rapproachment from the Bangladeshi side means that the Manik Sarkar government has not been found wanting in moving towards a status quo ante in terms of trade with Bangladesh.
2) Assam as usual is the connector for Arunachal and Nagaland (Upper Assam) and Meghalaya (Lower Assam). Some speedy movement in Arunachal is perhaps mooted by the Chinese claim, while the various insurgencies in Nagaland and Meghalaya means that they stand to see the gains of connectivity last. Darwin's award for self de-selection deserves no better exhibit than the case of Nagaland.
3) Sikkim's future is tied to the Dooars-Siliguri corridor (Darjeeling/North Bengal). This may provide a stepping stone to pull East Nepal and Bhutan into a tight trade-based embrace with a cross-border rail and HV transmission network. The day is not far off when hydroelectric power is traded for perishable and non-perishable commodities.
4) Vested by the disadvantage of geography, Mizoram might see connectivity towards the fag end of the process. Cross-border ties with Mizo tribes in Burma is the way to go. The process bulldozed by the Manik Sarkar government may catalyze such a revolutionary thinking sometime soon. While Moreh-Tamu is a significant boost in this direction, the viability of Mizoram-Burma trade is still light years away.
5) An alternate to the NSCN(IM)/Nagalim pressure point vis-a-vis Manipur is being envisaged, but given the state of affairs with respect to project completion in India (in general) and the Northeast (in particular), NSCN (both the factions) will remain a pressure point for a long time to come. Diversifying trade with Burma and developing the British era highway system to Assam (North Cachar Hills) is the way to go for Manipur.

Terrorist groups update (January 18, 2011)

1) NDFB talks: Linky

The Centre today said it would like to talk to both factions of the NDFB together and not separately. The Ranjan Daimary faction made the offer for talks to the government in the wake of a plea by the BNC, which was formed in November last year, in an effort to unite all the Bodo groups for the common causes of the community, including the demand for a separate state. Earlier this month, the Ranjan Daimary faction of the NDFB had declared a unilateral ceasefire for six months. The outfit has written to the Centre that in the intervening period they would not indulge in any act of violence and cease hostilities.

Earlier: Linky

Ranjan Daimary, the arrested chairman of the anti-talks faction of the National Democratic front of Boroland, today said the NDFB had declared a unilateral ceasefire for six months. Within hours of the declaration, Bodoland Territorial Council chief Hagrama Mohilary sought suspension of operations against the rebel group. Talking to reporters when he was brought to the court in Guwahati, Daimary said that in the intervening period they would not indulge in any act of violence and cease hostilities.

Elsewhere: Linky

Interpol has issued a Red Corner notice against Rajen Goyari alias G Rifikhang, the vice-president of the banned National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) for his alleged involvement in the use of weapons, explosives and acts of terrorism.
Rifikhang is one of the prime accused of the October 30, 2008 serial blasts and has been chargesheeted in connection with it by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) along with 18 others. Of the 19 chargesheeted in the case, 12 including NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary alias Nabla and outfit’s ‘deputy commander-in-chief’ George Bodo alias B Jwangkhang have been nabbed.

SATP adds:

Interpol is likely to issue notices against three more accused in the 2008 Assam serial blasts, namely Tarun Swargiary, Tensu Narzary alias Thungri Boro and J. Daimary, as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) received inputs about their presence in Bangladesh, reports Shillong Times on January 17. The Interpol had earlier issued red corner notices against two key accused in the blasts named among the 19 charge-sheeted by CBI. But the affiliations of the three accused are not disclosed.

2) NSCN(IM): Linky

Isaac Swu, who was scheduled arrive in New Delhi from Bangkok, Thailand, by January 13 along with his wife Avuli and other members of the group, has been delayed because of various reasons, including a passport problem. NSCN (I-M) leaders here said they preferred not to comment on the delay in Swu’s arrival. However, sources said Swu, who has been travelling across the world with a Bangladeshi passport, has been asked to surrender the passport to Bangladeshi authorities. Swu was scheduled to reach Nagaland today to give tempo to the process of reconciliation with other Naga factions who have been waging bitter fratricidal killings. Before coming to Dimapur, Swu was scheduled to meet NSCN (I-M) general secretary Th. Muivah and address members of the Naga community at Talkatora stadium in Delhi.

Telegraph adds: Linky

Along with Swu family members of arrested NSCN leader Anthony Shimray were also expected to arrive. They will come in the same flight, sources added. The delay has occurred due to the new Indian passport that Swu and others were issued recently.

As reported elsewhere, the fratricide between NSCN(IM) and NSCN(K) is explained here: Linky

Last month, a group of leaders from the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO) submitted a memorandum to the Union ministry of home affairs on the formation of a new state out of Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng districts in Nagaland. The tribes here — Konyak, Khiamniungan, Sangtam, Phom, Chang and Yimchungru — have felt neglected, as “elite tribes” from the state have been politically powerful since its statehood in 1963.

3) New issues with UPDS: Linky

Uncertainty looms over negotiations between the Centre and the United People’s Democratic Solidarity with the Karbi group refusing to sign the final accord if they are not allowed to form an interim council. The Karbi outfit, on ceasefire since August 2002, completed its final round of political dialogue with the Centre on December 23. Its accord with the Centre was proposed to be signed before January 26.

“After our last discussion, we met P.C. Haldar again in Guwahati on January 5. We placed the proposal of an interim council before him. He said the issue was not within his parameter and he couldn’t speak on the matter as it was solely related to the state government. He said the interim council issue should not be brought to the discussion table as it was not on the original charter of demands that the outfit had produced at the time of ceasefire,” Nongloda said. Senior executive of the alliance and Autonomous State Demand Committee leader Alwin Teron said there was a discussion between the leadership of the platform and Dispur on the issue. “The proposal was placed before the state government after the December 23 final discussion. The government is yet to clear its stand on the UPDS demand. After 17 years of armed struggle, the political dialogue came to a close and the outfit wanted to handle the proposed council by themselves. If the proposal is accepted, the accord can be signed any moment,” Teron said over telephone. The Congress is the ruling power in the existing Karbi Anglong autonomous council. Its tenure will end in 2012. If the UPDS is to be given permission to form the interim council, the Congress body might be suspended. “The best option will be to wait till the expiry of the tenure of the existing council. Thereafter, elections should be held to form the next council,” a source in Karbi Anglong said.

4) UDLT: Linky

Guerrilla leader Atabur Rahaman and his cousin Aklasuddin were found murdered at separate places in Mizoram’s Kolosib district yesterday. Rahaman, who escaped from jail twice in 2003, was the head of United Democratic Liberation Tigers. The outfit has been responsible for many killings, kidnappings and extortions in Hailakandi district. It comprised Muslim and Bru youths who joined the gang to eke out a living. Intelligence sources said the gang comprised around 75 criminals. Atabur, a resident of Jhalnacherra village in Hailakandi, joined the United Democratic Liberation Army in 2003 and was trained in guerrilla warfare. He left the outfit after differences with its chief Dhanyaram Reang and formed the United Democratic Liberation Tigers in 2004. The official sources claimed that after the deployment of the army’s 33 regiment in Hailaklandi to contain terrorism, members of the outfits had been lying low and most of them were hiding in Dholai block of Cachar district. Security forces in Cachar claimed that internecine rivalry between the two groups had led to the gruesome killings.

5) Garo vs. Rabhas by Patricia Mukhim: Linky

The Northeast is an ethnic cauldron. With 238 ethnic groups (and counting), whose homelands are contiguous, it is not surprising that inter-ethnic conflicts would erupt at the slightest provocation. The latest conflagration is between the Garos and Rabhas occupying the areas that border Goalpara district of Assam and Garo hills of Meghalaya. Ethnic unrest is nearly always followed by largescale violence leading to loss of lives and property and displacement of human beings. It is hard to believe that people who have lived in perfect harmony for years can suddenly take up arms against each other and become worst enemies. You are left to wonder at the overwhelming force of hatred being unleashed on innocent victims.
...
For a while now, the Rabhas of Assam, a group that has very close cultural affinity with the Garos, both being of Tibeto-Burman origin, have been restive. We have lost count of the number of bandhs and road blockades the Rabhas have called just in the past year to press for their demand of a Rabha Hasong. This, if we understand correctly, is a political framework which would bring them under the ambit of the Sixth Schedule and allow them the space and the flexibility to develop their area. Every ethnic group that finds a voice and the right political pitch usually makes such demands because it knows that this is the only way to get a share of the political and financial pie. Such demands will become more strident as the Assembly elections approach.

The only problem with the Rabha Hasong is that it includes 416 villages inhabited by Garo people. In August last year, the Garo National Council, comprising Garos living in Kamrup district of Assam, had demanded a separate Garo Autonomous Council which would exclude those villages from the proposed Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council. A section of non-tribals under the umbrella of Ajanajatiya Suraksha Mancha who live in 135 villages which also fall under the RHAC have asked that they be excluded from the Rabha Council. Assam is in the eye of the storm with 21 ethnic communities sharing a living space that can by no means be termed as “belonging” to any single homogenous group. Over the centuries, the groups have conflated into new entities. But when an ethnic group begins to demand greater autonomy to address the development backlog, then new problems are bound to emerge. Those who are not of that ethnic profile may not subscribe to those demands because they are unsure what the new dispensation would look like, or if it will look after their interests.

Needless to say, bringing in the religious angle with a half-baked understanding of the whine profile of both sides is not productive. Not like there are no religious undertones in the Northeast whine profile (as the following report will indicate), it is just that understanding the issue has to be done without any prejudice or malice. Linky

Illegal migrants have incited the Garo-Rabha clashes in Meghalaya and Assam areas with an eye to oust the Garos and Rabhas from the lucrative rubber plantations they have developed and also from their fertile plots of land. These migrants are the third party and they are provided all possible protection by the State administration, alleged the All Rabha Students’ Union. Addressing a press conference here today, ARSU organizing secretary Nripen Rabha said that these migrants have established their hegemony in Krishnai area of Goalpara district and at their behest Muslim fundamentalism is also at work in some areas of the district. The local administration and the district administration too are scared of taking any step against the leaders of these illegal migrants some of whom are leading the ruling Congress party’s local units, said the ARSU leader.
...
The ARSU and Six Schedule Demand Committee members also said that the Congress-led Governments in the State and in Meghalaya are also patronising the Garo-Rabha clashes with the view to frustrate the Six Schedule demand of the Rabhas. They have also turned blind eyes to the fact that the surrendered militants of the Garo militant outfit ANVC are leading the attacks against the Rabha villagers in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya, alleged the ARSU and Six Schedule Demand Committee leaders.

6) On ANVC: Linky

The ceasefire with Garo militant group Achik National Volunteer Counil (ANVC) was extended by nine months from January 1, official sources said today. "It has been agreed that Suspension of Operations with ANVC would be extended for a further period of nine months with effect from January 1. Discussions on their demands are continuing at the level of Centre's interlocutor PC Haldar, for the peace talks," the sources said.

7) India-Burma MLAT: Linky

India and Myanmar have ratified the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) on criminal matters. Union Home Secretary GK Pillai and Myanmar Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, U Phone Swe signed the Protocol of Exchange for the treaty at the conclusion of the 16th Home Secretary-level meeting between the two countries on Thursday night (Dec 30, 2010).

One should also note that: Linky

Sources said that according to intelligence inputs, the lower level cadres of the outfit in Myanmar would come back once the peace process starts. Though the Government of Myanmar assured India that it would launch offensive against the militants camping in that country, no sustained operation has yet been launched and “it is also a fact that the Government of Myanmar has very little control over the Kachin area,” sources added.

8) ULFA: Linky

United National Liberation Front (UNLF) chief RK Sanayaima alias Meghen, arrested last month in Bihar by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), confessed during interrogation that he had met the elusive 'commander-in-chief' of ULFA during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

9) New outfit (SATP reports):

The militants belonging to the Anti-Talks Factions of Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF-ATF) formally rechristened itself as Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger (KPLT) on January 8, reports Sentinel. In the foundation day celebration programme headed by Jing Hanse, deputy ‘commander-in-chief’, The outfit's and flag was hoisted by Nilip Enghi, general secretary-cum publicity in-charge. During an interaction with the reporters, Nilip Enghi criticized the KLNLF and said that KPLT is pledged to fight until the autonomous state is formed.

10) NLFT (SATP reports):

Huge tracts of land inside Indian Territory have been reportedly turned into ‘free area’ of National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) along the Tripura-Bangla international borderline under Gandacherra Sub-division OF Dhalai District, reports Tripura Times. Local sources informed that a heavily armed militant team is regularly moving in and out of the Indo-Bangla border along Naraichari area near border pillar no. 2268 and 2269 under Boyalkhali village in Raisyabari area. The team, led by self-styled NLFT ‘leader’ Atharobabu Halam alias Babu Halam and Laltina Darlong have reportedly divided into two platoons to take control on localities under Raisyabari and Gandacherra Police Station.

Understanding Manipur (Part I)

The data here has been collated from
1) Linky 1
2) Linky 2
3) Linky 3
4) Tribes of North East India: An Ethnographic Profile, by Chaturbhuj Sahu
5) Linky 4

Manipur became a Union Territory in 1956 and later, in 1972, a full-fledged state of India. The area of Manipur is 22,327 sq km, of which 20,736 sq km is the surrounding hills (with ~41% of the population) and the remaining area is the Imphal Valley or plateau (with ~59% of the population). There are nine administrative districts in Manipur: i) Bishnupur, ii) Churachandpur, iii) Chandel (formerly known as Tengnoupal), iv) Imphal East, v) Imphal West, vi) Senapati, vii) Tamenglong, viii) Thoubal and ix) Ukhrul. Of these the four districts of Bishnupur, Imphal West, Imphal East and Thoubal form the Valley region while the rest form the Hilly area.

The Hilly area is the predominant home of the tribal people with Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Churachandpur, and Chandel having more than 90 per cent of the district’s population as ST. Senapati district has recorded 78.5 per cent of its population as ST. These five districts together hold 92.4 per cent of the state’s total ST population. The rest of the four districts (Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal) have negligible percentage of ST population.

There are 29 tribal communities notified as per the census records: Aimal, Anal, Angami, Chiru, Chote, Gangte, Hmar, Kabui, Kachanaga (Liangmei), Kairao, Koirang, Kom, Lamgang, Mao, Maram, Maring, Mizo (Lushai), Monsang, Moyon, Paite, Purum, Ralte, Sema, Simte, Sabte, Tangkhul, Thadou, Vaipha and Zou. These tribes are broadly categorized into two groups: i) the Naga group (which includes Anal, Angami, Kabui, Kachanaga, Kairao, Koirang, Lamgang, Mao, Maram, Maring, Mizo, Monsang, Moyon, Ralte, Sema, Sabte, and Tangkhul), and ii) the non-Naga or the Kuki group. Apart from these two tribal groups, there is a primary chord of ethnic Manipuri (or Meitei) groupings. There is yet another chord of Meiteis who subscribe to Islam and go by the name Meitei Pangals. Thus, Manipur is a four-way toss-up between Meitei, Pangal, Naga and Kuki whinefests modulo the intra-Kuki (and very rarely intra-Naga) whinefests.

In terms of ethnography, the Naga group lead a settled life and have a great affinity with the Naga groups in Nagaland whereas the Kuki group exhibits a migratory habit and have affinity with the Chins and Mizos. The Naga group holds a communal system of control and management of resources whereas the Kukis often have a strong, authoritative and hereditary chiefship for this purpose. Sociologically and anthropologically these non-Naga tribes believe that their customs and social organizations are akin to each other among themselves and that these are different from the ones found among the Nagas. Geographically, the non-Naga tribes occupy contiguous areas and have closer contacts with the Chins of Burma's Chin Hills. Linguistically, languages of the non-Naga tribes are mutually intelligible to a great extent, whereas Naga languages are totally unintelligible to these communities. Politically, the non-Naga tribes had an upper hand in Manipur before independence and had enjoyed official patronage more than the Naga tribes did. In addition to these, many non-Naga villages have mixed population of non-Naga tribes.

The population of Manipur in 2001 Census has been 2,166,788. Of this 741,141 are Scheduled Tribes (STs), which constitutes 34.2 per cent of the total population of the state. Of these 741,141, almost 717,604 are Christians constituting 96.8 per cent of the ST population. The state has registered 17.2 per cent decadal growth of its Scheduled Tribe population in 1991-2001. The total population of the state in the 1981 and 1991 censuses was 1,420,953 and 1,937,149 while the same for the ST population was 387,977 and 632,173 (27.30% and 31.78%). According to the 1961-2001 census, the different tribal numbers is as follows (with % inter-decadal change in brackets):

1961 1971 1981 1991 2001
1 Aimol 108 836(674.07) 1,862(122.73) 2,108(13.21) 2529(19.97)
2 Anal 4,868 6,670(37.02) 9,349(40.16) 10,642(13.83) 21,242(99.61)
3 Angami 632 70(-88.92) 566(708.57) 308(-45.58) 132(-57.14)
4 Chiru 1809 2,785(53.95) 3744(34.43) 6032(61.11) 5622(-6.80)
5 Chothe 1,035 1,905(84.06) 1,687(-11.44) 2,571(52.40) 2,762(7.43)
6 Gangte 4,856 6,307(29.88) 7,891(25.11) 12,793(62.12) 9,442(-26.19)
7 Hmar 15,365 23,312(51.72) 29,216(25.33) 35,767(22.42) 42,933(20.04)
8 Kabui 29,218 40,257(37.78) 26,006(-35.40) 62,487(140.28) 82,386(31.85)
9 Kacha Naga 9,734 13,026(33.82) 12,754(-2.09) 33,640(163.76) 42,013(24.89)
10 Koirao 406 1,620(299.01) 919(-43.27) 1716(86.72) 2348(36.83)
11 Koireng 531 458(-13.75) 948(106.99) 873(-7.91) 1,410(61.51)
12 Kom 5,477 6,550(19.59) 9,830(50.08) 13,004(32.29) 14,600(12.29)
13 Lamgang 1,866 2,622(40.51) 3,452(31.66) 4,031(16.77) 5,894(46.22)
14 Mao 28,810 33,379(15.86) 50,715(51.94) 76,972(51.77) 4,736(-93.85)
15 Maram 4,928 4,539(-7.89) 6,544(44.17) 9,592(46.58) 1,225(-87.23)
16 Maring 7,745 9,825(26.86) 11,910(21.22) 15,698(31.81) 23,238(48.03)
17 Any Lushai tribe(Mizo) 2,746 7,483(172.51) 6,126(-18.13) 8,240(34.51) 15,164(84.03)
18 Monsang 1,342 930(-30.70) 1,139(22.47) 1,803(58.30) 2,130(18.14)
19 Moyon 647 1,360(110.20) 1,642(20.74) 2,081(26.74) 2,970(42.72)
20 Paite 17,029 24,755(45.39) 30,959(1152.11) 40,792(31.76) 49,271(20.79)
21 Purum 82 - 447 388(-13.20) 571(47.16)
22 Ralte 80 154(92.50) 109(29.22) 250(129.36) 5(-98.00)
23 Sema 4 3(-25.00) 24(700.00) 111(362.50) 13(-88.29)
24 Simte 2,818 4,177(48.23) 5,034(20.52) 8,833(75.47) 11,065(25.27)
25 Suhte - 3 282(9300.00) 746(164.54) 1905(155.36)
26 Tangkhul 43,943 57,851(31.65) 79,029(36.61) 107,244(35.70) 146,075(36.21)
27 Thadou 47,994 59,955(24.92) 56,467(-5.82) 121,994(116.04) 182,594(49.67)
28 Vaiphei 8,215 12,347(50.30) 15,463(25.24) 26,877(73.81) 38,267(42.38)
29 Zou 6,761 10,060(48.79) 12,576(25.01) 16,803(33.61) 20,567(22.40

As can be seen from the above data, some tribal numbers such as for Mao, Maram, Gangte etc. have been decreasing. This flux is due to conversion and re-orientation of tribal affinities of the Kuki vs. Naga, intra-Naga and intra-Kuki kinds. The seven most dominant tribes in the 2001 census are Thadou, Tangkhul, Kabui, Paite, Hmar, Kachanaga and Vaiphui (that is, four Kuki sub-tribes and three Naga sub-tribes). Together, they occupied 78.7% of the ST population as the following table shows:

1 All STs 741,141 100%
2 Thadou 182,594 24.6
3 Tangkhul 146,075 19.7
4 Kabui 82,386 11.1
5 Paite 49,271 6.6
6 Hmar 42,933 5.8
7 Kacha Naga 42,013 5.7
8 Vaiphui 38,267 5.2
9 Maring 23,238 3.1
10 Anal 21,242 2.9
11 Zou 20,567 2.8
12 Any Mizo (Lushai) tribes 15,164 2.0
13 Kom 14,602 2.0
14 Simte 11,065 1.5

Of these, many Kuki sub-tribes have refused to be clubbed together with Thadous and there has been a demand for calling their mutually intelligble dialects as Kuki-Thadou or Thadou Kuki or Kuki or Thadou (depending on who you hear). This explains the great preponderance for intra-Kuki hostility. In terms of terrorism in Manipur, there are four types of outfits: i) Meitei outfits, ii) Kuki outfits, iii) Naga outfits, iv) Meitei Pangal (Muslim) outfits. We now briefly describe the main outfits, with a follow-up take soon.

Meitei outfits:
1) UNLF: The United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the oldest Meitei insurgent group in the State was formed under the leadership of Areambam Samrendra Singh on November 24, 1964 to achieve independence and a socialist society. A pan-Manipuri Youth League was formed in December 1968, which functioned as an overground body for the UNLF. Later, differences within the outfit surfaced over the issue of strategies to be adopted. While Samrendra Singh sought to spread ideological consciousness before launching an armed struggle, the more radical leader Oinam Sudhir Kumar established a Revolutionary Government of Manipur (RGM). Samarendra Singh was killed by unidentified terrorists in Imphal on June 10, 2001. In the seventies and eighties, the UNLF concentrated mainly on mobilisation and recruitment. In 1990, it decided to launch an armed struggle for the ‘liberation’ of Manipur from India. In the same year, it formed an armed wing called Manipur People’s Army (MPA).
Whine Profile: The UNLF aims to establish an independent socialist Manipur.
2) PREPAK: The People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) was formed under the leadership of R.K. Tulachandra on October 9, 1977.
Whine Profile: Claiming to be the "most genuine revolutionary groups" in Manipur, the PREPAK’s main demand is the expulsion of ‘outsiders’ from the State.
3) KCP: Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) was formed on April 13, 1980, under the leadership of Y. Ibohanbi.
Whine Profile: The main objective of KCP is to restore the independence of the erstwhile Manipur kingdom and to bring about an egalitarian society, which is to be achieved by uniting all ethnic-Mongoloid groups belonging to South-East of Himalayan region, liberating Manipur from the Indian rule, building up the strength of the working class and reviving the indigenous culture.
4) KYKL: Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), meaning "the Organisation to save the revolutionary movement in Manipur" is a Meitei terrorist group formed in January 1994 following merger of the Oken faction of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the Meiraba faction of People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and the Ibo Pishak faction of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP).
Whine Profile: The purported objective of the KYKL is to ‘rebuild’ the Manipuri society by clearing it of all vices like immoral activities, drug trade and corruption. According to the KYKL ‘Public Relations Officer’ S.K. Loya, the group stands for ‘nationalism’ of the entire Northeastern region to be based on the principle of "all for one and one for all". Towards the end of 2001, the outfit launched ‘Operation New Kangleipak’ (ONK), an ‘anti-corruption’ campaign to ‘clean up’ the educational system in Manipur. While the outfit continues its activities under the ONK, it has also pledged open support to other terrorist groups who reportedly work against the narcotics trade, drug addiction, immoral activities and corruption in the society.
5) PLA: The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was established under the leadership of N. Bisheswar Singh on September 25, 1978.
Whine Profile: The PLA aims to organise a revolutionary front covering the entire Northeast and unite all ethnic groups, including the Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis, to liberate Manipur. PLA, though a Meiti outfit, claims itself to be a trans-tribal organisation seeking to lead the non-Meiteis as well.

Naga outfits:
1) NSCN(IM) runs its reign of terror across the Nagaland, Arunachal and Manipur belts via proxy outfits such as ANSAM (All Naga Students Association of Manipur).

Kuki outfits:
1) KNA: The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and its armed Wing, Kuki National Army (KNA), were formed in 1988. The first batch of the cadres, under the command of Thangkholun Haokip, was trained by the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) in Myanmar.
Whine Profile: The main objectives of the KNA is to bring together all the Kuki-inhabited areas separated by artificial boundary created in 1935, specifically in the Kabaw valley of Myanmar and the Kuki inhabited areas in the hill districts of Manipur under one administrative unit called ‘Zalengam’ (Land of freedom). In case of the eventuality of such integration not materializing, the KNA aims at the creation of two Kuki states: one within Burma i.e. ‘Eastern Zalengam’ and the other within India, ‘Western Zalengam’.
2) KNF: Kuki National Front (KNF) was formed under the leadership of Ranco Thangboi Kuki on May 18, 1988 primarily to counter the NSCN-IM hegemony in the Kuki-inhabited areas.The KNF split in 1995, with one unit identifying itself as the "presidential faction" and the other as the "military council". The former again split into KNF (Samuel faction) and KNF (Zougam faction).
Whine Profile: The primary objective is to secure a separate State or Union Territory for the Kuki community and the unification of all scattered Kukis in the new homeland, 'Kukiland'.
3) KLA: The Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) was formed under the leadership of Paozangam Letkholun sometime in 1992. He was shot dead by the security forces in an encounter at Chaningpokpi village in the Imphal East district on June 4, 2003.
Whine Profile: The Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) claims to be fighting for an independent Kukiland or a separate Kuki state.
4) KRA: The Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) was formed in December 1999, allegedly with the support of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM). In August 2007, the KRA underwent a split with the formation of the KRA-Unification in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
Whine Profile: The primary objective of the KRA is to secure a “separate State” for the Kuki tribe within the Indian union and the unification of all scattered Kukis in the new homeland. In Assam, its declared objective is the creation of the “Kuki National Council”, an autonomous administrative council for the Kukis in the Karbi Anglong district. The KRA-Unification, on the other hand, aims at unifying the Kuki tribals.
5) UKLF: The United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) is one of the several small militant groups fighting for an ethnic Kuki state, Kukiland. The outfit was formed on March 29, 2000.
Whine Profile: The purported objective of the UKLF is to uphold the interests of the Kuki community and form a separate Kuki state called 'Kukiland'.
6) ZRO/ZRA: The Zomi Revolutionary Organization (ZRO) was formed in 1993 and its armed wing, the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), was formed in 1997 following an escalation of ethnic violence between the Kukis and Paites in the Churachandpur district of Manipur.
Whine Profile: The purported objective of the ZRO/ZRA is to protect the interests of the Paite community from the ‘onslaught of any community or group’. It further attempts to bring all the Zomi people, divided by artificial State boundaries in various countries, specifically in Myanmar (Chin State), India (Manipur and Mizoram) and Bangladesh (Chittagong Hills Tracts), together under one administrative unit, a ‘Zogam’, which means ‘land of the Zomi’ under the Indian Union.
7) HPC(D): Hmar People's Convention - Democracy (HPC-D) is an offshoot of the Hmar People's Convention (HPC), which came into existence in 1986, as a political party spearheading a movement for self-government in the north and northeast of Mizoram.
Whine Profile: The Hmars, who according to the 1991 census, were 12,535 in number in Mizoram, were disappointed with the contents of the Mizo Peace Accord of 1986, which failed to address their demand of a 'Greater Mizoram' integrating all areas inhabited by Hmars in Mizoram, Assam and Manipur under a single administrative unit. Since April 1987, the HPC waged an armed struggle for autonomy, which touched extreme levels of violence towards 1991. Hmar cadres abducted tea executives and triggered off a spate of extortions in the Hmar inhabited areas of the States of Mizoram, Assam and Manipur. The purported objective of the outfit over the years has changed from an autonomous district covering the north and northeast Mizoram to an independent Hmar State (Hmar ram) consisting of the Hmar inhabited areas of Mizoram, Manipur and Assam.

Pangal outfits:
1) PULF: A communal clash between the dominant Meiteis and the Pangals (Muslims) on May 3, 1993 over monetary transaction in the Lilong Bazaar area of Thoubal district led to approximately 150 deaths in the Thoubal and Imphal districts. Subsequently, discontented members of the minority Muslim community formed a number of Islamist militant outfits. People’s United Liberation Front (PULF), founded in 1993, was one of them.
Whine Profile: Besides seeking to safeguard the interests of the minority Muslim community in Manipur, PULF’s purported objective is to secure an Islamic country in India’s northeast through an armed struggle in collaboration with other Islamist fundamentalist groups. The outfit also envisions a society based on ‘Islamist values’ and to this end, has ‘acted’ against the prevalence of substance abuse and alcoholism among Muslims in the State. It has also passed diktats on the dress code for Muslim girls in the State.

Apologies

Sorry for the long absence, some personal issues. Blog will be back and running as soon as things get resolved.