Three militants arrested in Manipur for threatening Sangai festival participants

Manipur Police have arrested three alleged militants linked to a banned coalition known as the 'G-5' for issuing threats to performers and participants at the recently concluded Sangai Festival, officials said on Friday. The arrests were made during coordinated operations in Imphal West and Imphal East districts, a senior officer told reporters.

Police have registered five cases relating to the threats, which were purportedly circulated by the proscribed G-5 grouping — an umbrella of five outlawed Meitei insurgent organisations: the UNLF, KCP, KYKL, PREPAK and PREPAK (Pro). These groups, active for decades in the valley areas, are banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and have long sought to dictate cultural and political life through periodic diktats and boycotts.

Investigators say the G-5 issued a one-year ban on four local drama troupes for agreeing to perform at the Sangai Festival, and demanded that stall owners, artists and other participants publish public apologies by 10 December. Police said more suspects are being identified and “necessary legal action” will follow against anyone involved in intimidation.

The officer added that “strict action will be taken against any attempt to intimidate or disrupt cultural activities and public events in the state”, an assertion aimed at signalling state authority at a time when extremist influence has grown amid Manipur’s fragile law-and-order environment.

The Sangai Festival — named after Manipur’s endangered brow-antlered deer — is the state’s flagship tourism showcase, intended to highlight its cultural diversity, handloom traditions, food, crafts and adventure sports. It usually draws thousands of visitors from across India and abroad.

This year’s edition, however, was held under extraordinary strain. It returned after a three-year gap caused first by the pandemic and then by the ethnic conflict that has convulsed the state since May 2023. Determined to project a semblance of normalcy and reassure investors and tourists, the Manipur government pressed ahead with the festival in Imphal, deploying heavy security and promoting the event as proof that “life is returning to the state”.

Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla described the festival as a vital outreach platform linking Manipur with national and international tourism networks. But in reality, attendance was strikingly low. Many residents avoided public gatherings amid lingering fear, while internally displaced persons (IDPs) staged protests denouncing what they saw as a government attempt to “celebrate” while thousands remained homeless and camps struggled with shortages.

More than 260 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in the continuing ethnic conflict between Meitei groups in the Imphal Valley and Kuki–Zo communities in the surrounding hills. Large parts of the state remain segregated, mobility is heavily restricted, and armed groups continue to exert influence in various pockets.

Against this backdrop, the G-5’s threats underscored the precariousness of staging any mass cultural event. The arrests, officials say, are intended as a message that the state will not allow banned groups to dictate public life — though critics argue that true normalcy cannot be manufactured through festivals while the underlying conflict remains unresolved.

With PTI inputs