Manipur was the most violent State in 2018, accounting for 50% of the total incidents reported across the Northeastern region last year, when the number of insurgency and civilian deaths was recorded as being lowest in the past 14 years, as per a Union Home Ministry report.
A total of 127 violent incidents were reported in Manipur in 2018, while the number of such incidents was 252 in the entire region including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
An insurgency-ridden state, Manipur is affected by activities of the Meitei, Naga, Kuki, Zomi, Hmar and Muslim underground outfits. The Meitei insurgency accounted for about 57% of insurgency incidents in Manipur, killing 6 security forces personnel and five civilians.
The insurgency incidents registered a decline of 18% in 2018 (with 252 cases), as compared to 308 cases in 2017, stated the report, adding that a 25% reduction was also noted in the deaths of civilians and security forces personnel in the same year.
According to the report, Sikkim is free from insurgency related incidents and the security situation in Mizoram, remained peaceful in 2018, by and large, barring a few incidents of violence. Around 114 cadres of the Hmar People’s Convention (Democracy) surrendered with 44 weapons in Mizoram in April 2018.
