The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday, 30 September, arrested an individual from Manipur in a case related to an alleged transnational conspiracy by Bangladesh and Myanmar-based terror outfits to "wage war" against the Indian government by exploiting the unrest in the violence-hit state.
The accused, identified as Seiminlun Gangte, was nabbed from Manipur's Churachandpur and has been brought to New Delhi – where he will appear before a jurisdictional court.
According to the NIA, certain terror groups in Bangladesh and Myanmar have been collaborating with "militant leaders" in India to indulge in acts of violence and thereby sow divisions between different ethnic groups.
"For this purpose, the aforementioned leadership have been providing funds to procure arms, ammunition and other types of terrorist hardware which are being sourced both, from across the border, as well as from other terrorist outfits active in North Eastern States of India to stoke the current ethnic strife in Manipur," the NIA said.
The arrest gains significance in the backdrop of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement between Kuki armed outfits, the Indian government, and the Manipur government. According to the agreement, insurgents are supposed to stay in designated camps and their weapons kept in government-controlled storage facilities.
However, there are allegations that some insurgent groups which are signatories of the SoO have been playing a part in fueling the Manipur conflict.
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