Judges’ Reports Reveal Manipur’s AFSPA Scars

By Krishnadas Rajagopal

Activists have long been demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

Details of crimes committed by Army and CRPF add impetus to the cry for justice

A 15-year-old girl carrying lunch for her father to his workplace, a mother putting her baby to sleep at home, a woman waiting for her bus at a busy marketplace and spectators at a volleyball match are some of the innocent victims of rape and revenge killings by services personnel under the cover of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur.

The details of the crimes allegedly committed by the Army, the CRPF and police commandos were revealed in a series of inquiry reports filed by serving and retired district judges, adding impetus to the cry for justice and repeal of AFSPA by activist Irom Sharmila. On August 8, 2014, the Manipur government handed over the reports to a Supreme Court Bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

The Bench is hearing a PIL petition filed in 2012 by the Extra Judicial Executions Victims’ Families Association, through senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, seeking a Special Investigation Team to probe almost 1,590 cases of alleged extra-judicial killings and disappearances in the State since the 1980s.

These inquiries, commissioned by the State government and the Guwahati High Court, date back to 1985.

One report by M. Manoj Kumar Singh, District Judge, Imphal East, is about the rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl committed by two Army personnel of the 12th Grenadier on October 4, 2004. The victim committed suicide the same day.

The judge noted that “crimes against women, more particularly relating to sexual harassment, committed by armed forces, are now increasing at least in some States like ours.”

The report said: “They [armed forces] think themselves placed at the elevated status of impunity by the legislation and think wrongly they are given licence to do whatever they like.”

Another report by C. Upendra Singh, a retired district judge, investigated the death of Amina, a young mother shot by CRPF personnel while putting her baby to sleep at home. The report said she died when a CRPF party, in pursuit of a man, entered Naorem village, surrounded Amina’s house and fired indiscriminately.

Similarly, Judge Manoj Kumar Singh investigated the shooting of Yumnam Robita Devi, 52, on April 9, 2002 as she waited for a bus at Pangei Bazar. A passing convoy of CRPF personnel was ambushed by insurgents. In retaliation, the report said, the personnel turned to the civilians and fired indiscriminately. Ms. Devi, who ducked on the floor of the market, was spotted and shot dead.

Manipuri Ponies Riding into Oblivion

By Manjula Narayan

Rocky squelches through the rich black mud of Lamphelpat outside Imphal, stopping occasionally to nibble on tufts of grass. All around, herds of Manipuri ponies are gazing contentedly, the males casting proprietary looks about the landscape as the mares nuzzle their gamboling foals.

Seven-year-old Avinash is an expert bareback rider. Here he’s pictured on Bala, his favourite pony. (Photo by CK Sharma)

If you shut your eyes to the buildings looming at the edge of the wetland, seeming to advance stealthily like an ugly concrete version of Great Birnam wood in Macbeth, you can almost imagine how this valley looked for centuries, when it was the preferred grazing ground for thousands of Manipuri ponies.

“These semi-feral ponies have a unique genetic character. Unlike other horses that cannot survive if they get wet, they can stand in water up to their shoulders and continue to graze,” says journalist Ningthoukhongjam Ibungochoubi, secretary of the Manipuri Pony Society.

Sadly, most of the ponies are now gone, driven almost to extinction by untrammelled development in Imphal that has destroyed meadows and reclaimed lakes. This has pushed the quadrupeds, one of only five indigenous Indian horse varieties that include the Marwari, the Kathiawari, the Zanskari and the Spiti, onto the streets, where they are often run over, or worse, choke to death on plastic waste swallowed while foraging in garbage dumps.

A loud rumble distracts the ponies from their sedate munching. A gigantic truck has dumped yet another load of mud into Lamphelpat. The Imphal campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) will soon sprawl across this area. Other parts of the pat or lake have been marked out for a range of projects including, it is rumoured, a baseball field.


At a polo match on the Manipur Horse Riding & Polo Association’s farm, the ponies and riders are in perfect sync. (Photos by CK Sharma)

This is absurd considering it’s at the cost of polo, the game that first made Manipur internationally famous and is as dear to many Meiteis — the majority ethnic group in the state — as gully cricket is to the rest of India. Indeed, Imphal has Mapal Kangjeibung, the oldest living polo ground in the world, and polo clubs abound in the state where the game isn’t the preserve of the upper class. 

Everywhere, a sport’s popularity can be gauged by the enthusiasm of children. Children here can often be seen riding ponies down the less busy streets and leading them through their paces. The sight of tiny Avinash (7), expertly riding his favourite pony Bala bareback across the rolling grasslands that are part of the Manipur Horse Riding & Polo Association’s breeding farm, is especially wonderful. “Riding is part of our way of life, our culture. Sometimes kids even ride ponies naked,” laughs Joyremba Haobam, Managing Director of CubeTen, a software company in Imphal, as we watch a polo march.

Riders and ponies are equally intent on the game as they charge around the field, grunting, yelling, mallets thwacking the ball. There’s much daredevilry on display as human and animal synchronize perfectly. Later, the feeling that you’ve stepped into a magical place — part Mongolian steppe, part Vaishnavite homeland —  intensifies when a rosy-cheeked girl on a gray pony charges past on the main street.

Most of the time, though, Manipur calls to mind human tragedy, the excesses of AFSPA, Irom Sharmila’s brave struggle, the women who stripped naked to protest the brutal killing of Manorema. The rest of the country knows about these tragedies but few are aware of the slow choking of the state’s environment.

“Lamphelpat’s peaty soil is made up of the decaying matter of plants and organisms. It has taken thousands of years to evolve but due to our carelessness, it is going to vanish,” says wetland ecologist S Shyamjai Singh, who explains that the lake absorbs the city’s pollutants and keeps the weather moderate.

His colleague Bidan Singh, Secretary of the Manipur Wetland Society, points out that the death of Lamphelpat will wreak havoc on Imphal. “In the early monsoon, the water drains to the Samushang channel, which connects to the Nambul river. At the onset of the monsoon, the excess water from the river gets stored in Lamphelpat. It is a natural flood control system,” says Singh, who once spent four weeks pursuing his research in a hut on a floating bit of biomass on Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake in the north-east. Reckless reclamation has blocked both the free flow of water and its storage. “If Lamphelpat is filled up, the whole city of Imphal will be flooded. It’s already happening,” he says. “The role of a wetland is to be a kidney, a sponge. The government is spending crores every year to mitigate the flood. If they just preserved Lamphelpat, it would solve the problem,” he says.

It isn’t just scientists who are worried. “If we don’t save Lamphelpat, even the remaining ponies will vanish,” says Momon Singh, a former jockey who reveals that when a project threatened Vijay Mallya’s stud farm in Karnataka, the tycoon had ensured that plans were changed. Unfortunately, the Manipuri pony doesn’t have a powerful benefactor like Mallya and the breed’s extinction seems imminent. A pony census shows that while there were 1893 ponies in 2003, the number fell to 1218 in 2007. “We’ve done an unofficial count before the census is conducted later this year and now there are only about 400 ponies left,” says Ibungochoubi.

To its credit, the state government is trying to provide a sanctuary near the temple to Lord Marjing, a Meitei deity. “Most Manipuris became Vaishnavite Hindus around the 14th century. Before that, we followed Sanamahism. With Vaishnavism, we continued to worship our old gods like Iboudhou Marjing, who is believed to be the inventor of polo,” says Ibungochoubi as we trudge up the steps to the temple. At the top, is a beautiful idol of Marjing, lord of prosperity, good health and virility, seated majestically on Samadon, a sweet faced Manipuri pony. Alongside the idol are marble ponies rearing up on their hind legs. Devotees bearing vivid purple water lilies from the Heingang lake nearby kneel down and lose themselves in prayer. The experience is strangely moving and leaves you feeling grateful for glimpsing other ways of knowing, of believing, of being.

“In our traditional belief, Ibudhou Marjing was a master horseman and his horse could fly. So the pony is an integral component of our civilisation,” says Ibungochoubi adding that Meitie horsemanship had ensured that Manipur stayed independent through the ages. “Polo — the modern form originated in Manipur — is sometimes called a peacetime war exercise. Our history shows that some games had 200 people on horseback on each side,” he says. “Polo players from all over the world dream of playing here on the original pony, which is the Manipuri pony. For them, coming to Manipur is like a pilgrimage!”

If the number of ponies continues to dwindle, though, it’s a pilgrimage that could be discontinued. “According to international norms, if any breed is fewer than 2,000 in number, it is considered endangered and if the number of fertile females is fewer than 300, it is considered critically endangered. The Manipuri pony is actually critically endangered,” says Ibungochoubi, who hopes the central government will step in to save the breed and preserve its grazing grounds.

Back at Lamphelpat, polo player Romen Singh, fondly watches a foal ambling down a dirt track.

“Khambaton!” he calls. In response, the little pony canters up excitedly. “His mother died after he was born so we bottle fed him,” Romen says as he holds out two sugared loaves. Khambaton demolishes both before rejoining his brother, a magnificent older chestnut. It’s a heartwarming scene that reveals much about the close relationship between many Manipuris and these hardy ponies.

As still another truck dumps its load into the lake, you wonder if Rocky and Khambaton and the rest of the herd will survive the destruction of this grassland, whether they will end up as road kill. You wonder if Manipur too will succumb to the excesses of development that are diminishing lives in other parts of India; if it will let go of all it holds dear, its unique culture and its unusual relationship with its ponies for the evanescent pleasures of ‘modern’ life.

You can only hope that Iboudhou Marjing will show the way.

In Pictures: Manipur's 'Custodial Killings'

Irom Sharmila's release has once again put focus on extra-judicial deaths at hands of army in northeastern Indian state.

By Karen Dias

Manipur, a northeastern state of India bordering Myanmar, has been embroiled with armed insurgency and ethnic conflict for the past four decades.

The Indian government imposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in 1980 to deal with the armed rebellion, in what the government calls "a disturbed area".

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which is also applied in India-administered Kashmir, gives security forces the power to detain and arrest anybody on mere suspicion, enter and search without warrants. The armed forces are exempt from any investigation or prosecution under the law that many human rights activists dub draconian.

Under this Act, several human rights violations such as fake encounters, torture, sexual abuse and enforced disappearances committed by Indian armed forces have come to light.

Irom Sharmila, a human rights activist based in Manipur, had been fasting for the past 14 years demanding the repeal of this Act, which is arguably one of the longest protest fasts in history.

She was released from a prison hospital in Manipur on August 20 where doctors had force fed her to keep her alive. She was charged with the attempt to commit suicide, which is a crime under Indian law.

"It is hard for me to believe that I am free now. My battle against injustice and crimes committed by the army in Manipur will continue," Sharmila told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

In 2004, following the rape and murder of a young woman named Thangjam Manorama, widespread protests took place in the northeastern Indian state. Manorama's death triggered a protest by 12 middle-aged women who stripped naked and protested holding up signs saying "Indian Army Rape Us" in the state capital, Imphal, which made international headlines.

In January last year, the Supreme Court appointed a commission to make inquiries into these allegations after a public interest litigation was filed listing 1,528 people as victims of this draconian law. Six cases were pulled up at random and investigated, all of which were found to be fake encounters.

Gangarani Kongkhang, 38, is a visually-impaired woman whose husband Deban Kongkhang was killed after a hail of bullets were fired into the van he was driving, allegedly by the Thoubal District Police Commandos at Patpan Lamkhai in Imphal. The government vowed to punish the perpetrators. She was promised a government job and financial compensation but six years later she has received nothing. She lives on handouts and takes care of her two children aged seven and 12.

Wangkhem Chandrakala's husband, Namoijan Lukhoi, was shot by two unidentified men outside their home on April 21, 2008. She filed a police complaint but gave up the case because she feared repercussions and worries about the safety of her four school-going children. "Soon after my husband's death, I went into depression and began to lose my senses. I would wander off and find myself in the fields or in the crematorium. My family members and neighbours had to keep an eye on me," she told Al Jazeera.

Irom Sharmila Chanu, known as "The Iron Lady of Manipur" has been on a protest fast for last 14 years demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Here she is pictured in her Security Ward at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. She was released on Wednesday.

Family members and local activists attend the memorial service held on the tenth anniversary of Thangjam Manorama's death on July 10 at Bamon Kampu Mayai Lekai in Imphal. Manorama was picked up on July 9, 2004 by the 17th Assam Rifles. She was found raped and murdered with bullet wounds on her genitalia the next day near her home in Ngariyan Maring. Her death sparked widespread protests in Manipur and other parts of India.

Khumbongmayum Lata Devi's 20-year-old son Khumbongmayum Orsonjit Singh was killed by the Manipur Police Commandos on March 16, 2010. His is one of the cases concluded to be a fake encounter by a commission appointed by the Supreme Court.

  Irom Sharmila waits in her ambulance on July 7 as armed guards stand by outside the Appellate Court in Lamphel. She began her fast on November 2, 2000 when 10 civilians were killed at a bus stop by the Assam Rifles in the Malom district near Imphal airport.

  Women who are part of the Extrajudicial Execution Victims Families Association of Manipur (EEVFAM) pose for a photograph with portraits of family members who were killed by armed forces on the fifth anniversary of EEVFAM in Imphal. EEVFAM provides support and counsels families in dealing with the loss of their husbands and sons and in dealing with the stigma of their family members being labeled as underground rebels.

  On January 24, 2009, Soraishem Joy, 40, was picked up from his home by Assam Rifles soldiers and was blindfolded and beaten in an open field and waterboarded at their camp in Patsoi, near Imphal. He was forced to sign a blank piece of paper and was later thrown in jail for six days after which he was released because villagers protested and pleaded his innocence. "If it wasn't for my neighbours and family support, I would have been a dead body like all those other fake encounter cases. I have done nothing wrong," he says.

Flowers are placed in front of portraits of men who were victims of extrajudicial killings.

  RK Surjalata Singh, 50, lost her 26-year-old son Irengbam Roshan on May 8, 2012. He was allegedly shot by the Assam Rifles in the Ukhrul district in Manipur. Surjalata remembers her son's body at the morgue as having burn marks from scalding water and bullet wounds suggesting torture methods were used. Surjalata's younger brother, RK Khogen was also killed in the 1995 RIMS (Regional Institute of Medical Sciences) massacre in Imphal when security forces opened fire, killing nine civilians.

  Neena Ningombam, 33, lost her husband Michael Nongmaithem in 2008. Michael was accused by the police of being a rebel and was allegedly shot for trying to escape. After her husband's death, she joined other widows whose husbands were killed by the Indian Army and started a campaign against army atrocity. She has two sons, aged six and 12.

  Roni, 30, with her nine-year-old son Mutum Mir. Her husband Mutum Herojit, 38, was killed in an encounter on October 13, 2008. "I want justice for my husband. No other woman's husband should die in the future. I want to tell the government that this killing should stop or else Manipur will become a state of widows," she told Al Jazeera.

Source: Al Jazeera

Modern Democracy has no place for laws like AFSPA

A Manipur sessions court has ruled that Irom Sharmila Chanu, who has been fasting to protest military atrocities in Manipur under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) since 2000, is not guilty of attempting to commit suicide, a criminal act under India's laws.

Fasting for political causes has been a hallmark of satyagraha, or non-violent protest, originally practised and preached by none other than Gandhi. But this acquittal really does not solve anything.

Even if Sharmila is released from detention at the Imphal hospital where she is incarcerated, she is unlikely to give up her fast. In that case, she will have to continue to be fed nasally, as she is now.

The hospital is probably a more sanitary place for this to happen. Ultimately the governments of Manipur, other northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir — where AFSPA is imposed — — will have to take the decision to scrap the Act from their states.

But even that will not solve this problem. The Centre also has to agree to revoke the AFSPA, which gives draconian powers to the military to arrest and detain anyone without warrants.  It can also use unlimited force on people who live in areas declared 'disturbed.'

Nobody in the armed forces is judicially liable for any atrocities that happen under the AFSPA.

Whenever previous governments in New Delhi have tried to grasp this nettle, the military establishment has stepped in to argue that it cannot deal with insurgency in sensitive areas without the cover of this law, which was originally drawn up by the British to curb the freedom movement in 1942.

The government has to recognise that in a modern democracy, in the 21st century, there is no scope to retain legislation like the AFSPA.

Unlike a colonial ruler, whose wishes were imposed on a colonised people, democratic regimes survive on the will of voters.

Persisting with laws like AFSPA will actually prolong militancy and disaffection in the northeast and J&K, not end it. It is time the government scrapped this brutal relic from the past, to strengthen India's fledgling democracy.

Manipur Demands Implementation Of Inner Land Permit

Imphal, Aug 21 : The agitation for the implementation of the Inner Land Permit System has gained ground in Manipur, even as non-Manipuris without proper identity proof and those settling illegally or otherwise have been banned in the Thongju Part I and II areas in Imphal East district.

Earlier this week, 15 clubs representing Thongju Part I and II, under the aegis of the Thongju Chigonglei Makhong Development Club, organised a mass rally, which was followed by a sit-in protest and a human chain.

The rally condemned the indifferent attitude of the state government regarding the movement of people and demanded the implementation of ILPS in the state.

The bans in Thongju Part I and II are being seen as a first step in the implementation of a state-wise ILPS in Manipur.

Border Row: Manipur Petrol Pumps Gone Dry

By Iboyaima Laithangbam

Huts were set on fire at Old Ralan village along the Nagaland-Assam Border on August 13, 2014.

From Tuesday morning all petrol pumps in Manipur have gone dry. Petrol was not available since late Monday night. However some oil pumps in and around Imphal sold a few litres of diesel on Tuesday morning.

Oil pump owners said that no oil tanker has arrived at Imphal as a result of the indefinite blockade against Nagaland by the students and activists at Golaghat district of Assam. This is in protest against the killing of 12 villagers, missing of 4 others and torchings of several hundreds of houses in the district by the Naga miscreant suspected to be militants.

Though the activists say that there is no blockade against Manipur, the drivers are not sticking out their necks. The highway which is the lifeline of Manipur passes through Golaghat and Nagaland state. Fear is that frenzied villagers may attack the drivers and oil tankers mistaking them as those of Nagaland.

Most of the consumer items have also vanished from the market.

Life saving drugs are in short supply. The Chief Ministers of Assam and Nagaland had left the ball in Centre’s court saying that it should intervene. In the meantime, the Manipur Chief Minister is keeping a deafening silence despite the fact that the people are at the receiving end.

Following the mob attack against the Assam Chief Minister and his entourage, no minister or high official is visiting the affected district. No minister and official from Nagaland have also visited the border areas.

Irom Sharmila Must Be Released, Says Court, Rejects Attempted Suicide Charges

By Alok Pandey

Activist Irom Sharmila, who has been on a hunger strike for 14 years

Imphal, Aug 20 :  Irom Sharmila, who has been on a hunger strike in Manipur for 14 years, must be released, a local court said today, rejecting charges of attempted suicide against her.

Irom Chanu Sharmila, 42, has been on a hunger strike since November 2000, in protest against a law that gives the army sweeping emergency powers in the northeastern state.

She has been kept in a room at a government hospital and force-fed by tubes through her nose. For years, visitors needed permission from the Manipur Home Secretary but this changed after the National Human Rights Commission objected.

Her release will mean that she can't be force-fed anymore, which, her supporters say, could endanger her life.

After years of struggle, the activist appeared disillusioned as she spoke to NDTV about her anticipated release.

"My own supporters are not letting my protest proceed on the right path," she said.

Sharmila claims that her protests have been hijacked by the very people in charge of her campaign, the Just Peace Foundation, who, she says, don't even allow her to donate money from her international prizes to causes of her choice.

She began her fast days after 14 people were shot in Imphal, allegedly by personnel of the Assam Rifles. Newspapers published graphic pictures of those killed, which included a 62-year-old woman and an 18-year-old National Bravery Award winner.

Three days later, she was charged with attempt to suicide. She was 27.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, described by critics as draconian, allows soldiers legal immunity when they are operating in "disturbed areas" - states dealing with separatists or insurgents. Soldiers are allowed to make arrests without warrants or raid any location.

Activists allege the law has been misused and has led to gross human rights violations.

Irom Sharmila was not allowed to vote in this year's election because the law does not allow any citizen in custody to cast a vote.

Govt Creates Separate Manipur, Tripura Cadres for IAS, IPS

New Delhi, Aug 20 : The government has created separate cadres of Manipur and Tripura for IAS, IPS and IFoS officers.

Earlier, Manipur-Tripura acted as a joint cadre for officers of all India services (AIS)--Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has also come out with a draft list of allocation of separate cadres of Manipur and Tripura to these officers.

The move comes following a recommendation from a committee headed by DoPT Secretary.

"It is recommended that the AIS officers would be allocated or distributed on the principle of 'as is where is' basis, which means that the determinant factor would be the current posting of the officers.

"In case of those officers who are not in the cadre right now, the determinant factor would be their last place of posting in the joint cadre of Manipur-Tripura," the Committee has said.

As per the draft distribution list, 91 IAS, 60 IPS, 44 IFoS officers (including promotees) are to be allocated to Manipur. Likewise, 73 IAS, 50 IPS and 57 IFoS officers (including promotees) are to be allocated to Tripura, the DoPT order said.

The Committee, which was formed after the passing of the North Eastern Areas (Reorganization) Amendment Act, 2012, had as members Chief Secretaries of Manipur, Tripura, Special Secretary (Internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs, Inspector General (Forest-cum-Special Secretary), Ministry of Environment and Forests and Joint Secretary in the DoPT.

"Any factual error in the distribution or any representation may please be brought to the notice of Department of Personnel and Training latest by August 25, 2014," it said.

Manipur Youth Makes it to Guinness Book

By K Sarojkumar Sharma

Imphal, Aug 14 : Even before celebrations over the feat of state athletes at the recently concluded Glasgow Commonwealth Games could die down, a local youth has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for his eye-grabbing "magic pull-ups".

The 26-year-old weightlifter, Maibam Itomba, stunned viewers during his second successful attempt for the world record on March 15 this year as he did 16 pull-ups with his deft fingers in 30 just seconds during an official function at the SAI NERC complex here.

A resident of Naoremthong Samusang in Imphal West, Itomba made his first attempt on October 14, 2012, at the JN Manipur Dance Academy here.

"I am so happy that the Guinness authorities have given me recognition. I will continue to practice so that no one in the world can beat me," said an elated Itomba on Wednesday.

In 2007, the young weightlifter had bagged silver at a national championship in Imphal.

"On July 24 I received the official mail from Guinness informing me that my name would be included in the book. I received the hard copy of the record certificate yesterday," he said.

Prior to this, in 2002, Manipur agriculturist M Okendra had entered the Guinness book by grooming his 61 feet "Duranta erecta" (an ornamental plant cultivated in tropical and subtropical gardens, locally known as "Sambalei sekpil") at his Sagolband Sayang residential complex in Imphal West.

Making A Deal for Manipur

Positions have hardened to the point of great imminent violence in the state: there may not be a Manipur as we know it

By Sudeep Chakravarti


The greatest bulwark against an NSCN (I-M) assault is the Indian Army, its adjunct force Assam Rifles and paramilitaries like the Central Reserve Police Force.

Hard rain masks the jade-green hills in this unspoiled northern suburb of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. He then glances at a Walther PPK handgun on a table by his side, and turns to me.

“Manipur nathaki jabo,” he says in Nagamese, the “bazaar Assamese” that linguistically knits a dozen Naga tribes. There won’t be a Manipur. More precisely, there won’t be a Manipur as we know it. It’s not an idle observation from a former general of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (I-M), the largest Naga rebel group; and a council member.

According to him, it’s a possible outcome of one of the deadliest games of political chess being played in India. He maintains that if the government in Manipur, Nagaland’s southern neighbour with homelands of several Naga tribes in the hills across more than a third of its territory, doesn’t agree to the demand of its resident Nagas for administrative autonomy—dealing directly with New Delhi—Manipur will break. It’s what the apex United Naga Council (UNC) of Manipur—which Manipur’s top bureaucrat, in a conversation with me last week, insisted is a front for NSCN (I-M)—terms “Alternative Arrangement”.

Alongside being a pitch for development that Nagas feel has been denied them by the Manipuris of the plains, it is also a bargaining chip. NSCN (I-M)’s general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah hopes to soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It could be an important first step to revive stalled peace talks. NSCN (I-M) has been in ceasefire with the government since 1997. It has led to the absence of all-out conflict, not durable peace. NSCN (I-M), like other smaller Naga rebel groups in ceasefire with the government, has designated camps. Cadres are permitted to carry weapons. Many observers speak of rebels being demotivated after years of ceasefire.

For its part, NSCN (I-M) has also been weakened by factional strife and splits—often facilitated by plays of Indian intelligence agencies that, as a matter of policy, leverage rebel groups’ leadership egos, ethnic insecurities, and both need and greed for money. But the groups still pack a punch. For instance, plump with steady recruitment and arming, NSCN (I-M) alone has cadres estimated by Naga observers at between 7,000 and 8,000. It’s not much less than what the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has across the country.

This heft permits NSCN (I-M) and other Naga rebel groups like Myanmar-centric NSCN (Khaplang) and the smaller NSCN (Khole-Kitovi), and the Naga National Council to run parallel administrations in specific Naga regions, bankrolled by citizens and businesses. This has endured even the recent phenomenon of exasperated Naga citizens’ groups openly protesting against rebel taxes. Businesses can’t function without rebel say-so. If the push comes to shove in Manipur, NSCN (I-M) can exert pressure in the state’s three Naga-majority districts.

The ceasefire with Naga rebel groups does not extend to Manipur—a result of the government of India trying to calm fears among non-Naga people in the state who see the adding of Manipur to a ceasefire deal with Naga rebels as a prelude to breaking up of the state. Even the most generous security analysts don’t give Manipur’s police—and Manipur’s slew of fiercely nationalistic non-Naga rebel groups—a chance against a determined assault by NSCN (I-M). The greatest bulwark against an NSCN (I-M) assault remains the Indian Army, its adjunct force Assam Rifles, and to a lesser extent paramilitaries like the Central Reserve Police Force.

A key reason why the NSCN (I-M)-versus-the-rest conflict hasn’t erupted in Manipur is on account of a studied response by the rebel group as well as Indian security forces to protect the ceasefire in Nagaland. Both sides instead use occasional, low-intensity skirmishing and proxies among civil society groups and small rebel outfits from Manipur’s multi-ethnic stew to try and whittle away the other’s advantages; and create pressure before official negotiations.

In anticipation of such talks, the government of Manipur, non-Naga rebel groups in the state and several non-Naga civil society organizations have steadily ratcheted up their rhetoric against NSCN (I-M) and UNC since June. On 4 August, the influential All Manipur United Clubs’ Organization marked its annual “Integrity Day”—to commemorate its 1997 protest to stall extension of the ceasefire with NSCN (I-M) to Manipur—with more emphasis than usual. Positions have hardened to the point of fracture, of great imminent violence.

All major interest groups will have to be in on a peace deal. Or there won’t be a deal.

Sudeep Chakravarti’s latest book is Clear-Hold-Build: Hard Lessons of Business and Human Rights in India. His previous books include Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country and Highway 39: Journeys through a Fractured Land.

Manipuri Woman Molested By 'Drunk' Youth in North Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 7 : A 23-year-old woman from Manipur was allegedly molested in Roop Nagar area of North Delhi, police said today.

The accused, identified as Vikram, was in an inebriated condition when the incident took place last night, and was nabbed by a constable who was present at the spot.

Vikram works at a printing press in Civil Lines and resides in Sabzi Mandi area.

The woman is a student at a private university here.

"The incident was reported to police around 10 PM. The victim had gone to buy vegetables in the market when the man caught her from behind," a police official said.

As the woman raised an alarm, the beat constable who was posted nearby came to her rescue and nabbed Vikram. He later brought him to the police station, he said.

"A case under section 354 IPC (outraging the modesty of a woman) has been registered at Sabzi Mandi police station," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma.

Vikram was produced before the court today and has been sent to judicial custody.

Manipur Power Pact With Myanmar

Imphal, Aug 6 : India and Myanmar have decided to shape up the proposed joint-venture thermal power project in Myanmar's Sagaing region, boosting the bilateral ties of the two neighboring countries.

A joint meeting to this effect was held on Monday in the office of Tamu township military headquarters in Myanmar, about 5 Km from Manipur's border town Moreh, a source said.

The gateway to southeast Asia and a focal point of India's ambitious 'Look East Policy', Moreh has witnessed rapid progress of the economic development projects since the past few years. If the power project is successfully implemented, India would provide financial assistance and the required equipment for it, while Myanmar would offer the required land, the source added.

Manipur commerce and industry minister Govindas Konthoujam and Indian consulate general in Mandalay, N Nandakumar represented India, while union minister U Khin Maung Soe of the ministry of electric power, Sagaing region, led the Myanmar delegation at the meeting.

U Khin Maung, who was enthusiastic in setting up the power project, said he would discuss the matter with his country's top leaders and inform the same to India. Minister Govindas urged the Myanmarese delegates to extend support to the construction of the proposed Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Moreh aimed at boosting the ongoing commercial activities in Myanmar. On Govindas' appeal to release six Manipuris, who were apprehended by Myanmar Army, the neighboring country's delegates dropped positive hints, stating that the issue of releasing the captives would be considered.

Power officials, trade and chamber of commerce unit leaders both the countries attended the meeting. Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who addressed the meeting titled "Region Investment and Business Conclave" in the Sagaing region in May this year, had called upon Indian investors not to think for India alone but also Myanmar so that the two countries could co-exist.

Ibobi Singh suggested that investment in the Sagaing region is very much possible in power sector by generating power in the thermal power plants, agro-industries. He suggested setting up of educational institutions and hospitals during the conclave attended by hordes of Indian businessmen.

Manipur To Have Tallest Rail Bridge

Imphal, Jul 30 : The proposed bridge near Noney with pillar height up to 141 metres is slated to become the tallest in the world from the point of pillar height surpassing the existing tallest of Mala-Rijeka viaduct on Belgrade-Bar railway line in Europe where the height of pillars is 139 metre, said an N-F Railway spokesman.
  
The bridge in Manipur is part of the 111 km-long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal railway line to connect the capital of Manipur with the broad gauge network of the country, the spokesman said.
  
The alignment of the railway line passes through steep rolling hills of Patkai region, eastern trail of the Himalayas, he said.
   
While Jiribam, a small town of Manipur near Assam-Manipur border, is situated 37 metres above mean sea level (MSL), Imphal is situated at 780 metres above MSL.
  
The alignment has to traverse through not only a number of deep gorges but over several rivers flowing at low ground levels necessitating construction of 46 tunnels measuring a total 54.5 km in length and tall bridges to maintain a suitable gradient for efficient operation of railway, he said.
  
The longest tunnel will be 4.9 km long between Jiribam-Tupul and 10.75 km between Tupul-Imphal section.

Manipur May Miss Out on 'Mary Kom' Movie Screening

By Prasanta Mazumdar

Casting of Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom triggered protests as there were demands that only a girl from the region should essay the role Mary Kom is a legend in Manipur and India. Yet a movie made on her life is unlikely to be screened in her home state where the militants gave banned the use of Hindi, specifically Hindi movies.

The makers of the film "Mary Kom" are optimistic about its screening in the state and learnt to have been in touch with the state government.

But, so far, there has been no official word on the matter. Calls made to Manipur chief secretary PC Lawmkunga's mobile went unattended.

"We are planning to screen it in Manipur. So, we are in touch with the Manipur government," Neerav Tomar, chief executive officer and managing director of IOS Sports and Entertainment, told dna. The company manages Mary.

The film is set in Manipur and highlights the rise of the five-time women's world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medalist. The biopic, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and directed by Omung Kumar, is set for countrywide release on September 5.

The film stars actress Priyanka Chopra, who spent a lot of time with Mary to understand her and style of boxing. When she was cast, it triggered protests on the social networking sites with demands being raised that only a girl from the region should play the role.

The uncertainty on the screening of the movie in Manipur has saddened Mary and her family among others. "I will feel bad if the movie is not released in my state," Mary said. Her husband, Onler Kom, expressed a similar sentiment. "We will be very sad if it is not screened in Manipur. One must understand that the film is about Mary's life, family etc," he said.

Asked if the family will make an appeal to the militants, Onler said, "They have already learnt that we want the movie to be screened in Manipur".

The Manipur film industry is equally upset. "The people in Manipur are passionate about the film. They want to see it. But Hindi is the problem," said Epu, general secretary of Manipur Film Forum. "Why is the ban on the screening of Hindi movies in theatres when the satellite channels are beaming them in the state?" he argued.

"Whether it is screened in Manipur or not, I am sure copies of the movie will go viral in Manipur," said N Ibungochoubi, a writer.

Extremist group Revolutionary Peoples Front, fighting for the sovereignty of Manipur, had in 2000 issued a notice banning the use of Hindi and screening of Hindi movies for allegedly destroying Manipuri culture and language. Ever since then, movie theaters in the state have stopped screening Hindi movies.

Source: DNA

UPF Team To Arrive in Delhi on July 30

New Delhi, Jul 29 : A team of United Peoples Front (UPF), the umbrella Chin-Kuki-Mizo underground organisation, will be arriving here in New Delhi on Wednesday, July 30 for a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.

The UPF team will be headed by Araon Kipgen who is the convenor of UPF's representative for 'political dialogue' with the Government, according to a well placed source.

With just 25 days left for the expiry of the present one year term of Suspension of Operation (SoO) with both the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples' Front (UPF) there have been hectic consultations going on among the leaders of KNO and UPF. The current one year SoO term for both UPF and KNO ends on August 22.

Meanwhile, both UPF and KNO are not sure whether they will extend the SoO for another term. "Our team will arrive here in New Delhi on Wednesday and a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India will be held within this week," said the source, adding, The source further said only after the August 12 meeting the UPF will only know whether to extend the Suspension of Operation with the Government or not after the current term expires on August 22. The source however, did not disclose the venue of the August 12 UPF meeting.

Source: Newmai News Network

Moreh: Pushers, Traders, Soldiers, Spice

By Sudeep Chakravarti

With weapons and narcotics all across—it’s easy to be spoilt in Moreh

Strips of pseudoephedrine dumped in a graveyard in Moreh. Photo: Sudeep Chakravarti/Mint

It’s easy to be spoilt in Moreh. “Beretta? Glock? Llama? Smith and Wesson?” offers one arms procurer. He leans back on a worn sofa in his modest house jammed in a typically crowded ward of this border town in Manipur.

Moreh is marked as India’s key transit point to Myanmar on the ribbon of a planned Asian Highway route—Route 1—linking Southeast Asia with West Asia through India. A Land Customs Station is in the process of being upgraded; it is to be integrated with immigration facilities. A truck park is planned. Perhaps a “mineral park” for Myanmar limestone, copper ore and such.

A regular bus service is to link Manipur’s capital Imphal to fabled Mandalay via Moreh. Products and people from both countries and points beyond will move seamlessly, officially. That’s the hazy future. For now, the underbelly is the belly. Weapons that come in to India. Narcotics of various shades and grades that travel both ways. Imported timber. Red sandalwood from Karnataka priced at Rs.2,500-3,000 a kilo, prized in Myanmar, Thailand, even China.

There are more innocent products: Indian-made pharmaceuticals, fabric for the ubiquitous Myanmarese longyi, juice, chocolate, infant food, tyres for Bajaj autorickshaws—one takes me on a 15-minute ride to Tamu, the nearest town in Myanmar that falls within the radius that Indians are permitted to travel without a visa, from morning till 5pm. In reverse flow arrive LED lamps, blankets, toys, consumer goods, Godzilla brand mosquito repellant, even yongchak beans practically worshipped in Manipur. Official trade data for Moreh with the ministry of development of north eastern region places two-way trade at a little over Rs.4 crore for 2010-11.

Mostly betel nut was imported, cumin seed exported. Mostly agricultural products and medicine are permitted to be traded without application of duty. Unofficial trade figures? Officially incalculable. The duty paid is to government officials, security overseers, and rebel groups. To weapons. The handguns carried by my arms procurer host fire 9mm shells. Llama and Smith and Wesson retail at his arms deli for Rs.1.5 lakh and Rs.1.8 lakh apiece, Beretta and Glock at Rs.2 lakh per piece. Cash only. (Rupees work across the border in northwestern Myanmar.)

The man is one of several weapons procurers in town who feed some Kuki rebels groups, occasionally Naga rebel factions, and an assortment of other Northeastern rebels. (Some rebel groups bypass those like him to directly deal with the source.) He lets me record our conversation and take notes, but requests anonymity. In a place with a population of about 40,000 and tight communities of Kuki tribals, the non-tribal Meitei, the Islamic Meitei Pangal, and Tamil, Sikh and Nepali folk displaced by Myanmar’s decades-old ethnic cleansing, the smallest clue can be a giveaway.

The man claims he would then be open to harassment by—read: additional payoffs to—Manipur’s police, central paramilitaries, and various factions of rebels in Manipur who are at once purchaser and protector. Worse, he might end up dead. I ask him: what about assault rifles? He offers several Kalashnikov copies and variants. AK 47s brought in courtesy of Thai suppliers and from Myanmar’s autonomous Shan state; AK 56 and Type 81s “from China”.

There are ageing American M-15s and M-16s sourced from Thailand. Weapons come used or in “packing”—a term for brand new weapons. Accessories are naturally available: ammunition, sniper scopes, laser guidance, silencers. What else? “Landmines, grenades, RPGs (rocket-propelled grenade launchers)…” Earlier, I visited a nearby village to see dumps containing thousands—even tens of thousands—of emptied pseudoephedrine strips. The medicine is extracted and then transported to Myanmar for use in manufacturing methamphetamines: “speed”.

Then I visited a woman who sells a grade of heroin called No. 4. A “shot” costs Rs.100. Among an estimated 150 such sellers in Moreh, she claims to sell 15 grams of heroin in a couple of days to residents and visitors. Her sponsor pockets Rs.18,000 a day. She profits by Rs.2,000 daily. But like her sponsor, she also needs to pay the local police, bureaucracy and rebels. As I talked to her, in an adjacent room, users injected heroin.

It is now evening. Locals promise smoked fish, Myanmar brand beer or the smoother Dali from China—available openly in Moreh, part of a state where prohibition is law. There’s even Blenders Pride whisky the vendor says is sourced from the “army”, to pass on at Rs.750 a bottle. Free trade? You bet.


Sudeep Chakravarti’s forthcoming book is Clear-Hold-Build: Hard Lessons of Business and Human Rights in India. His previous books include Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country and Highway 39: Journeys through a Fractured Land.

Arun Jaitley proposes Sports University in Manipur, increased aid for sports

By Chander Shekhar Luthra

Arun Jaitley has been a known face for India's cricket fans. Though never been a player himself, his long association of at least one-and-a-half decades with Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) as president and Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) as vice-president ended abruptly only a few months back, but he is still being seen as a sports lover.

So, when he readied to present his first Union budget, there were signs of his eagerness to do something for the development of sports in India. Thankfully, it was not just about cricket.

In the budget he presented on Thursday, Jaitley proposed a Sports University in Manipur and Rs200 crore for the troubled state of Jammu & Kashmir which has 'a lot of sporting talent which was not finding expression due to inadequate facilities'. Not just this, he substantially hiked the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports budget by Rs562 crore.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) grant has also been increased by Rs85 crore with government setting aside Rs405.10 crore, while the National Sports Federations have also got a substantial hike of Rs25 crore in the assistance provided to them with Rs185 crore being allotted to them.

However, the highlight of Jaitley's budget was J&K and Manipur where sports can help bring in youth to the mainstream. Apart from Parvez Rasool, part of the current India 'A' cricket team, there is none coming up from this border state.

But the situation in North Eastern states is different. Though, there are none in the field of cricket, MC Mary Kom of Manipur is a household name in India apart from numerous football talents and clubs. So, a Sports University can actually help the youth here to make a career out of sports.

"It is great news for us and we cannot stop celebrating. This budget helps the northeast to dream of a better future in sports," said Olympic medallist Mary Kom.

Jaitley has also shown interest in inviting neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan to participate in the games of the Sports University.

For J&K, the extra money will help upgrade and develop adequate sports facilities to encourage the youth participation in much better numbers than the present.

In a year of Commonwealth and Asian Games, an additional sum of Rs100 crore for training sportswomen and men has come as a major relief for the sports federations.

"It's heartening to see that sport is being seen as integral for society. The key now will be to utilise the funds in a proper way. For instance, the Asian Games is just a few months away and it will take good governance and quick and efficient utilisation of these funds to benefit the sportspersons participating," said Viren Rasquinha, former Indian hockey captain, on Thursday.

Academies with international level facilities for training of accomplished athletes and for nurturing best talent in the country at junior and sub-junior level will also be set up for shooting, archery, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting and various track and field events.

But there are other voices who feel that this proposed budget is perhaps too low for a country like India. "It is a no-brainer that the budget for sports should be a lot more than what it is. But in a country like India, we must understand that change will come gradually. We thank the government for providing us with the funds we had asked for," said Jiji Thomson, SAI Director General.

Frog Hunters Nabbed in Manipur

Sinlung Says: "There is a huge truck load of Corrupted officials who need to be apprehended and yet resources are still spent on the weak and poor who are just trying to feed their families. Maybe if the business is good, why not encourage farming - after all Frog is not an endangered species."

By Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, Jul 8 : Unlike other poachers, frog hunters in Manipur move in groups searching for good sites. They look for paddy fields in the rainy season by using torch lights made of bamboo tubes. When they switch on their torch lights on the water, the eyes of frogs glitter making them easy preys for the hunters who chase and catch them.

A hunter could harvest about 50 frogs a night and 3/4 hunter groups could harvest about 40,000 frogs in a month if they are lucky enough. Such groups hand over their collection to a collector who purchase them at Rs 5 - 7 per frog according to their size.

The collectors then take it to the master collector who will buy it at higher rates for dispatch to the markets in the State’s hill districts and neighbouring States where frogs are a delicacy. With the hunting made at night and dispatch early in the morning, the business is not visible to the public.

This came to light following a disclosure by a group of frog traders who were arrested in the State during a raid conducted by Peoples For Animal (PFA) Thoubal accompanied by police from Imphal West Police Station.

The raid was conducted at few locations along Dingku Road in Imphal early in the morning, according to a press release issued by PFA Thoubal.

We succeeded in apprehending four female hunters,” said the PFA release. “A total of 523 frogs of Indian Bullfrog species which are listed in schedule 4 of Wildlife Protection Act were rescued from them.”

The arrested frog hunters cum traders have been identified as Ningombam Dashu, Naorem Memcha, Thabitha Ningshen and Jenni Shimrah. They were fined a sum of Rs 2000 each while the frogs were released back to the paddy fields on Tuesday last.

The step was taken in view of the mushrooming of frog trade which has become a flourishing business among the farmers who spend sleepless nights catching frogs in the wet paddy fields.

Thousands of frogs are being caught and are feared to be exported to the neighboring States of Manipur, the release said. The release pointed out that hunting of frog is a very serious threat to ecosystem. Feeding on pests, frogs are the best natural pest controller. Besides, it is food for many wild birds and animals.

Manipur: How To Kill A Highway

The highway and its hinterland have more sinister applications than micro-politics and emotions run amok

By Sudeep Chakravarti

Malaise de Manipur, a worrying condition of sub-continental drift, has a way of infecting things. It weakens India’s security in the North-East and attendant geopolitical imperatives, including the so-called Look East Policy. And it continues to undermine Manipur’s ethnic equity and economic development—including the promise of hydrocarbons and minerals.

Take a tiny example: Asian Highway 1. On 28 June, I attempted to travel on it from Imphal, the capital of Manipur, to Moreh, a border town 110km away at the south-eastern edge of the state and a designated hub for India’s enhanced transport, trade and tourism play with Myanmar and beyond. I didn’t get far. On that day Thadou Students’ Association, a group of the area’s dominant Kuki tribes called a 24-hour blockade of the highway in Manipur’s Chandel district, where Moreh is located. They were protesting the allegedly callous behaviour of paramilitary personnel towards six persons injured in a road accident in mid-June. An “active member” of the association had been among the injured.

A day later a so-called joint action committee of citizens called a 48-hour blockade of the same highway to protest the murder of a resident of Nungourok, a nearby village, by as yet unidentified perpetrators. And so, for 72 hours India’s key overland route to Myanmar, the conduit for thriving cross-border trade—both legitimate and grey—that feeds much of north-eastern India, remained blockaded. The police, Chandel district administration and Manipur government were either unable or unwilling to calm nerves and redress grievances.

This two-lane, poorly maintained strip is also National Highway 102 (until recently National Highway 39). Asian Highway 1 incorporates it as part of a planned seamless link between Myanmar and several other nations of South-East Asia to West Asia and Europe through north-eastern India, Bangladesh and “Mainland” India.

The highway and its hinterland have more sinister applications than micro-politics and emotions run amok. This is also a narcotic artery. In February this year, a colonel of the Indian Army and five others, including a soldier and locals, were arrested on charges of ferrying pseudoephedrine tablets of various brands valued at Rs.15-20 crore, from Imphal to Moreh. The colonel’s car sported defence ministry plates and a beacon. Two other cars in the convoy had “Army” pasted on the windshields. Police chased them down when the officer breezed past a check post flashing his credentials. One of those arrested was an Imphal-based security official with an airline.

Shipping of such drugs as couriered consignments isn’t uncommon. Pseudoephedrine, used to relieve common cold and allergies, travels from India to Myanmar. It is used to create methamphetamine stimulants, which then return to India. The interdiction of a colonel is a rarity in this regional trade that security observers and activists in the area of drug rehabilitation place at billions of rupees a year. They point to the involvement of at least a dozen rebel groups of all ethnic persuasions—Naga, Meitei, Kuki, Zomi—active in Manipur; and that of the political, bureaucratic and security establishments.

All feed off this economy of conflict. To the north and south of the Imphal-Moreh artery lie narcotic havens cradled in hilly terrain. In Ukhrul district to the north, a stronghold of Naga rebels, poppy and cannabis are grown. Poppy is a favoured crop to the south in Chandel and Churachandpur to the south-west, which like Ukhrul border Myanmar; here Kuki and Meitei rebels have sanctuary. Cannabis is largely absorbed into north-eastern India. Poppy sap is cooked into a base to manufacture heroin. It is then transported by couriers using steep mountain trails into Myanmar.

It returns as heroin, distributed using various channels, including Asian Highway 1. Here security forces live cheek by jowl with militant groups that are either actively belligerent or have suspended hostilities as part of negotiations with the government. Either way, there’s coexistence. Drugs are openly sold in Imphal.

A short walk from my hotel in the city’s North AOC area, on a stretch of Asian Highway 1 christened Indo-Myanmar road, everything from “SP” (a code for Spasmo-Proxyvon, a painkiller) to marijuana, and “No. 4” (a category of heroin) to “WY” (a mood enhancer that expands as “World is Yours”), are available. It’s near the barracks of police, paramilitaries and the army.

A modest jog away is the chief minister’s residence and the state’s administrative hub, the secretariat. I’ll be here for a while. The Thadou Students’ Association has called for a 72-hour blockade of the highway from 5 July.

Sudeep Chakravarti’s forthcoming book is Clear-Hold-Build: Hard Lessons of Business and Human Rights in India. His previous books include Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country and Highway 39: Journeys through a Fractured Land. This column, which focuses on conflict situations in South Asia that directly affect business, runs on Fridays.

Business As Usual: Poachers Prey On Frogs in Manipur

By Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, Jul 3 : Unlike other poachers, frog hunters in Manipur venture out in groups in auto-rickshaws looking for good sites. They look for paddy fields in the rainy season. They modify torch lights using bamboo tubes. When they light their torches on the water, the eyes of frogs glitter and then they chase and catch them.

A hunter can harvest about 50 frogs a night and three to four groups can harvest about 40,000 frogs a month if they are lucky enough. They then hand over their catch to a collector who buys them at Rs. 5 to Rs. 7 per frog depending on the size of their catch.

The collectors then take it to the master collector who buys it at higher rates and sends them to the markets in Manipur's hill districts and neighbouring states where frogs are a delicacy.

Hunting of frogs is a serious threat to the ecosystem. Feeding on pests, frogs are natural pest controller.

As the frog poachers hunt at night and ferry their catch through inter-state transport services early in the morning their business is never out in the public.

This is how the frog hunters work in Manipur every day and night.

This came to light following a disclosure by a group of frog traders who were arrested in the state during a raid conducted by Peoples For Animal (PFA) Thoubal accompanied by a police team from Imphal West police station.

The raid was conducted on a few locations along Dingku road in Imphal around 4am on Tuesday, according to a press release issued by PFA Thoubal.

"We succeeded in apprehending four female hunters who were dealing in frogs," said the PFA.
"A total of 523 frogs of Indian Bullfrog species which are listed in schedule 4 of Wildlife Protection Act, including some dead, were rescued from them."

The arrested frog hunters and traders have been identified as Ningombam Dashu of Khongjom Tekcham, Naorem Memcha of KhongjomTekcham, Thabitha Ningshen of Kamjong and Jenni Shimrah of Sangshak both presently staying at Khuman Lampak in Imphal.

They have been compounded a sum of Rs. 2000 each and the frogs were released back to the paddy fields with the permission of Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Central Division on Tuesday.

The step was taken in view of the mushrooming of frog trading as thousands of them are being caught and eaten while thousands others are feared to be exported to neighboring states.

Manipur houses number of exotic flora and fauna but instead of conserving them, people always look for easy money by exploiting them.

Hunting of frogs is a serious threat to the ecosystem. Feeding on pests, frogs are natural pest controller and many wild birds and animals eat them too. Their over-hunting could thus lead to a imbalance in the nature.

"This is one of reason why the hill districts of Manipur where frogs are caught and eaten experienced more vector born disease cases as these were spread by fly, mosquito and other insects," the PFA said.