Imphal: A top leader of an insurgent outfit, the United People’s Party of Kangleipak (UPPK), surrendered to the Manipur Police on the second day of the Yaoshang/Holi festival, officials reported on Friday.
Moirangthem Raja Singh, alias Maiba (41), the self-styled captain of the UPPK, abandoned the path of violence to join the national mainstream by presenting himself to the police.
According to a Manipur Police bulletin released on Friday, Singh, a resident of Ngangkha Lawai Awang Leikai in Bishnupur district, surrendered at the Minuthong office of the Imphal West Commando.
At the time of his surrender, he was carrying a mobile phone and an Aadhaar card.
This marks a notable surrender following the April 21, 2023, incident, when 37 militants, including 36 from the Chin Kuki Liberation Army (CKLA) and one from the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak – Progressive (PREPAK-Pro), laid down their weapons.
Set up on November 6, 2008, by a splinter faction of PREPAK, the UPPK (also known as PREPAK-UPPK) and its armed wing, the Kangleipak People’s Army (KPA), were reported to have completely dissolved on April 4, 2016.
Established with the primary objective of restoring the “lost sovereignty” of Manipur, the UPPK had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state and central governments on May 24, 2013, after which its cadres were expected to adhere to ceasefire ground rules. However, some of its cadres remain involved in ruthless extortion activities.