Imphal Times photo journalist Sh. Ajit takes a dig on the past journey of UNLF’s former Chief RK Sanayaima @ Meghen on his revolutionary life, and he is having a close watch on what will be the next move of the rebel leader
As former Chairman of the proscribed group United National Liberation Front (UNLF) Chief RK Sanayaima @ Meghen is arriving here at Imphal, which is also his home, people started having close watch on what will be the next move of the former rebel leader.
“He didn’t surrender, neither he applied for bail when he was in jail, instead, he completed his conviction and came out. It is completed on deciding what will be the next move of the former rebel leader after reaching here in Imphal”, a political observer said.
Incidentally his conviction completed at a time when the state is on a frying pan burnt by twin issues of Naga settlement and the introduction of the contentious CAB. For reason not made known to the public the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs took him to undisclosed location at New Delhi after his release on November 9. RTI activists sought information to disclose the whereabouts of the former rebel leaders and dozens of Human Rights groups had petition the Manipur Human Rights Commission to disclose his whereabouts. On being asked to the DGP Manipur by the MHRC the answer was they have no information.
To another surprise, a reliable information said that the rebel leader will be back here in Imphal tomorrow, the November 28. He is expected to arrive at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport at around 1.30 pm tomorrow. What is again co-incidental is that the name of the International Airport here at Imphal – The Bir Tikendrajit International Airport is given recently under his great grandfather.
RK Sanayaima @ Meghen’s birthday was also co-incidental as he was born on September 21, 1946. It was when he complete 1 (one) year that the then Maharajah of Manipur, Bodhachandra was allegedly put under duress and forcibly signed the merger agreement at Shillong, which is believed to be the root of the present rebellion movement in Manipur.
RK Sanayaima join UNLF in the 1967. Two years later, that is in 1969, Meghen was assigned as the Acting External Affairs Secretary. In 1970 he was included as a member of the Revolutionary co ordination committee of UNLF later he became the member of the Central Committee of the armed group in 1973.
In 1975, Meghen went underground and since then he left his home leaving his wife and children at his home at Yaiskul Janmasthan, Imphal and started his guerrilla warfare to free Manipur from the clutch of the Indian Union. In 1984, Meghen was elected as the General Secretary of UNLF and Chairman in 1998, loading the burden of the rebel organization.
It is worth recalling that RK Meghen is perhaps the one first rebel leader from the region to participate the sitting of the UN Indigenous Peoples Group Subcommittee Human Right in 1996.
A year back he had addressed the United Nations working group on Indigenous people on July 25, 1995.
UNLF has attended Unrepresented Nations People’s Organization (UNPO) and the United Nations Group on Human Rights (UNWGIP). In the same year, the UNLF chief and the Home Affairs in charge briefed the Parliamentarian of the European Union in Brussel (Hemanta ibid). Again in July 1996, UNLF have circulated a pamphlets “Why Manipuris Demand Right of Self Determination”.
The UNLF had put forward four conditions before the government of India if it is willing to initiate dialogue and ink a peace accord with the organisation, which are:
“A plebiscite under UN supervision to elicit the people’s opinion on the core issue of restoration of Manipur’s independence.”
“Deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Manipur to ensure the process is free and fair.”
“Surrender of arms by the UNLF to the UN force, matched by the withdrawal of Indian troops.”
“Handing over of political power by the UN in accordance with the results of the plebiscite.”
On December 4, 2010, Sanayaima was produced by the NIA, who claimed to have arrested Sanayaima from Motihari in Bihar; while, Sanayaima has proclaimed that he was abducted by the Bangladeshi agencies on 29 September 2010 and “handed over” to the agencies of India. Sanayaima has been booked by the NIA for “waging war against the Indian Union under section 120 (B) IPC, 121, 121 (A), 122 IPC and 16, 17, 18, 18 (A), 18 (B) & 20 Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 as amended in 2008.”After the arrest, he said that “in a multi-community region, the idea of peace cannot be achieved without considering the collateral damages of the secondary conflict that emerges out of the meaningless peace process.”
