Manipur crackdown: 13 militants arrested, major arms cache seized in 24 hours
Synopsis
In a single 24-hour sweep across five Manipur districts, security forces detained 13 militants from four banned outfits and seized an arsenal that included land mines, grenades, a functional rocket, and over a dozen firearms — with Chandel's porous Myanmar border again at the centre of the haul. Fresh tribal violence in Senapati district, where a CRPF jawan was injured and two houses torched, signals that the security situation remains volatile beyond the headline arrests.
Key Takeaways
13 militants from banned outfits including PLA , UPPK , PREPAK , and SOREPA were arrested across five Manipur districts on 26 August .
Weapons seized include two land mines , two hand grenades , a functional rocket, a mortar bomb, and over 30 firearms of various types.
A significant portion of the arms were recovered from Chandel district , which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar .
Three illegal bunkers were destroyed in Senapati district ; a CRPF jawan was injured amid fresh Naga-Kuki tensions in Taphou village.
111 nakas and checkpoints are currently operational across Manipur's valley and hill districts as part of intensified counter-insurgency measures.
Security forces conducting separate joint operations across multiple Manipur districts have arrested 13 militants from various banned outfits over a 24-hour period ending 26 August, officials confirmed on Wednesday. The detainees include six cadres of the United People's Party of Kangleipak (UPPK), and the operations yielded a significant haul of weapons, ammunition, and incriminating documents.
Who Was Arrested and Where
According to a police spokesman, the 13 militants were apprehended across Bishnupur, Imphal West, Imphal East, Chandel, and Kakching districts in coordinated operations conducted by the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, and other central forces. The arrested individuals reportedly belong to the banned People's Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing, the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), the Socialist Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (SOREPA), the UPPK, and the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK).
Officials said the detainees were allegedly involved in attacks on civilians, kidnapping, forcible collection of 'subscriptions', and the recruitment of youths into banned organisations.
Arms and Ammunition Recovered
The weapons seized in the operations represent one of the larger single-day recoveries in recent months. The haul included a foreign-made MP-09 rifle, a CMG with one magazine, a modified .303 rifle, an INSAS rifle, seven pistols of different calibres, eight single-barrel guns, 14 12-bore guns, a double-barrel gun, a Pompi gun, a functional rocket, two hand grenades, a mortar bomb, two land mines, an improvised fragmentation mine, four detonators, and a large cache of live ammunition. Subscription receipts, secret documents, cars, and two-wheelers were also seized.
Notably, a significant portion of the recoveries came from Chandel district, which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar — a known conduit for arms smuggling into the region.
Fresh Violence in Senapati District
Security forces also destroyed three illegally constructed bunkers in Taphou Kuki and Taphou Liangmai villages in Senapati district. A CRPF jawan was injured in a gunfight between two groups on Monday, and at least two houses were torched in the same Taphou village, triggering protests and a blockade on National Highway-2. A police official attributed the fresh violence to heightened tensions between the Naga and Kuki tribal communities in the area.
Ongoing Security Measures Across the State
The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Manipur Police have continued extensive counter-insurgency operations — including search operations and area-domination exercises — across fringe, mixed-population, and other vulnerable areas. As part of these intensified measures, 111 nakas and checkpoints have been established across valley and hill districts to monitor militant movement, anti-social elements, and suspicious vehicles.
Security forces are also providing armed escorts to trucks and other vehicles carrying essential commodities along the strategically important Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37), with convoy protection in place along vulnerable stretches to ensure uninterrupted movement of passenger and goods vehicles. This comes amid a prolonged security crisis in Manipur, where ethnic conflict and insurgent activity have strained both civil life and state resources for well over a year.
Point of View
A functional rocket, and a mortar bomb among the recoveries — underscores that Manipur's insurgent networks remain well-armed and operationally active, not merely residual. The repeated emphasis on Chandel district in arms recoveries points to a structural gap: an unfenced border with Myanmar that no amount of checkpoints fully compensates for. Meanwhile, the eruption of fresh Naga-Kuki violence in Senapati, running parallel to the anti-insurgency sweep, is a reminder that the state's security challenge is multi-layered — ethnic conflict and organised militancy are feeding off each other. Headline arrest numbers are useful optics, but the more telling metric is whether the arms pipeline from across the border is actually being disrupted.
NationPress
26 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many militants were arrested in Manipur on 26 August 2025?
Security forces arrested 13 militants from multiple banned outfits during joint operations across five Manipur districts in the 24 hours leading up to 26 August. The detainees include six cadres of the UPPK and members of the PLA, RPF, SOREPA, and PREPAK.
What arms were recovered during the Manipur operations?
The haul included two land mines, two hand grenades, a functional rocket, a mortar bomb, an improvised fragmentation mine, four detonators, seven pistols, an INSAS rifle, a modified .303 rifle, a foreign-made MP-09 rifle, 14 12-bore guns, eight single-barrel guns, and a large cache of live ammunition, among other weapons.
Which districts were covered in the Manipur security operations?
The joint operations spanned Bishnupur, Imphal West, Imphal East, Chandel, and Kakching districts. Chandel, which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar, was a key site for arms recoveries.
What is the significance of Chandel district in Manipur's insurgency?
Chandel district shares an unfenced border with Myanmar, making it a known route for arms smuggling into Manipur. Security forces have repeatedly flagged the porous border as a critical vulnerability in counter-insurgency efforts.
What triggered the violence and NH-2 blockade in Senapati district?
Fresh violence in Taphou village — involving a gunfight in which a CRPF jawan was injured and at least two houses being torched — was attributed to heightened tensions between the Naga and Kuki tribal communities. The incident triggered protests and a blockade on National Highway-2.
