Manipur governor Najma Heptulla on Thursday claimed that though the NSCN (IM) is under a ceasefire with the Centre, they are still actively involved in extortion and other criminal activities in the state.
Heptulla said the underground outfits belonging to different tribes, which have signed Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements, are also involved in incidents of extortions and other subversive activities.
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The governor said this while speaking at seminar on “Changing security paradigm in North East – Implications and Imperatives” in Imphal organised by Assam Rifles.
Heptulla said the insurgency movement in the state was “indulging in terrorism” in recent times.
“In the recent times, there has been a noticeable change in the insurgent movement, shifting away from the ideology of insurgency and instead indulging in terrorism,” Heptulla said.
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She said Manipur had been facing the problem of insurgency since the 1970s, after the formation of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur in 1978, though the state had already witnessed the Naga underground movement in the hill districts.
Since then, the number of UG outfits had increased manifold, creating uncertainty and tension with the “deaths and destruction unleashed by their acts of terrorism”, she said.
“Mounting unemployment, economic backwardness and related issues, apart from law and order problems, also have the potential to affect the internal security of the state. Manipur continues to be one of the most troubled states in the North-East due to all these problems,” said the governor.