Imphal: The proscribed People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing, the Red Army, will observe their annual Martyrs’ Memorial Day, known as Athoubasinggi Ningsing Numit, on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The outfit has appealed to the public to suspend entertainment programmes and light lamps in the evening in memory of those who lost their lives in the movement.
In a press statement, PREPAK’s Charge-de-Affaires for Publicity and Propaganda, Leibaak Ngaakpa Luwang, said the annual observance commemorates individuals who died in what the organisation describes as the liberation movement of Kangleipak (Manipur).
Historical events behind the observance
According to the statement, November 12 marks two significant events in the outfit’s history.
The first was a 1978 clash at Leimarok, in which PREPAK and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cadres were killed while fighting joint security forces. The second was the killing of PREPAK leader Tulachandra at the Kabowakching sugar factory in 1985.
The outfit also made several political and historical claims about Manipur’s relationship with the Union government. It alleged that the Government of India has continued to use repressive measures, including custodial deaths, enforced disappearances and attempts to deepen communal divisions.
The statement described October 15, 1949, as the date of Manipur’s forced annexation and argued that the region’s sovereignty was subsequently dismantled. It said the territory was downgraded to a Part C province before attaining statehood in 1972.
PREPAK maintained that its struggle should not be viewed as a secessionist movement but as an effort to reclaim what it considers the region’s lost sovereignty.
Allegations over ethnic divisions
The organisation further accused the Centre of encouraging internal conflicts among communities, including Nagas, Kukis and Meiteis.
It claimed that New Delhi had shifted its approach towards exploiting ethnic divisions following international scrutiny of alleged human rights violations in the region by institutions such as the European Parliament and the UN Human Rights Commission.
The statement alleged that certain communities were being used as proxy forces to divert attention from what the outfit described as the larger conflict between the state and the people.
PREPAK also criticised local politicians, accusing them of misrepresenting regional history and misleading the public. It described their actions as an obstacle to its political movement.
The outfit argued that the growing emphasis on ethnic and cultural nationalism was weakening collective resistance and increasing the risk of fragmentation in the region.
PREPAK reiterates political objective
Reiterating its stated objective, PREPAK said it seeks to establish Kangleipak as a progressive socialist nation.
It called on different communities to move beyond what it described as excessive nationalism, identify common interests and work towards economic self-reliance.
The organisation said unity among communities was necessary to pursue what it termed a common struggle against a shared adversary.