Post ‘Treacherous Activities of General Anthony Shimray, Army Chief of NSCN-IM’, Ill-motivated Propaganda: Manipur Valley-based Armed Groups

Ukhrul, Mar 29: A social media post with the caption “Treacherous Activities of General Anthony Shimray, Army Chief of NSCN-IM” purported to have been written by one ‘Commander S. Khuman’ Min Tha Myanmar, uploaded on the 12th March 2025, came to our notice a couple of days back. The post carries a long story, the central figure of which is General Anthony Shimray, the Army Chief of NSCN-IM. The story sounds all Greek to us, as we are not privy to the inside information of a centralized militant organization like the NSCN-IM, and we have no organizational or operational relationship with the said organization. But it alludes to a lot about our own organizations. So, we are compelled to issue this collective clarification.

Must read | Manipur’s Border Battles: Unraveling a Deeper Conflict

1. The post is a long, vituperative commentary on the activities of General Shimray. It seems, at first glance, to be a smear campaign against him initiated by a Meitei revolutionary commander operating in the India-Myanmar border area. Khuman is the name of one of the largest ‘yeks’ of the Meitei community. Meiteis are composed of 7 yeks, and a yek is broadly similar to an exogamous phratry, a cluster of clans or gens. Many Meiteis, not all, use the name of their yeks as a second or third name along with the clan/gen name. If counted, one may come across thousands of Khumans among the Meitei full names. Any reader of the above-mentioned post, having some primary idea about the naming customs and usages of the Meiteis, will automatically presume that one Meitei wrote it. The purpose of this write-up is to insinuate that Meitei revolutionary groups are deadly angry with General Shimray and his wrong-doings that harm Meitei and Naga revolutionary causes. But the foundational truth is that there is no S. Khuman in our organizations. Over and above this, we cannot write such allegations as we do not have the slightest knowledge about NSCN-IM and its activities. Only intelligence units of the enemy country or insiders of NSCN-IM will have the knowledge to write or concoct such stories. In addition, we have nothing to gain by fabricating such allegations. It is none of our business, too. This is nothing more than a mischievous machination designed to drive a wedge between the Naga and Meitei communities to serve colonial interests; this may be a cue from Chanakyaniti.

Also read | Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 1002; Junta Chief Appeals for International Assistance

2. In the last sentence of paragraph 3 of the paper, it is alleged that “behind the screen, he (General Shimray) has been working with the Indian Army and its ally PDF against Naga and Meitei fighters”. The present ground reality in the Manipur-Myanmar border areas is that we, Meitei insurgent groups, have been fighting against Indian security forces and their stooge, KNA-B, for more than one year. In this fight, we have not felt the slimmest suspicion that General Shimray or any of his cadres have been working with Indian forces against us.

3. In paragraph 6 of the post, the allegation is purely a figment of the author’s imagination and a bunch of lies. It is written that “he (Gen. Shimray) and his boys had been facilitating our (S. Khuman and other Meitei militants) return to the Valley on payment basis, now with border sealed off and unable to return to the Myanmar base due to constant raids, some Meitei groups had to sign ceasefire.” It is also factually wrong. We did not take part in the two-year-long Kuki-Meitei clash, and no group or faction signed a ceasefire after the outbreak of the Kuki-Meitei clash. The claim is what is imaginable at most. In the hill areas of Manipur, our physical movement can be done by ourselves independently; it may be risky but doable. No facilitators are required. This para smells to be a script drafted by Indian intelligence people who had engineered the ongoing Kuki-Meitei clash.

Also read | Heavy Gunfight Erupts Between Manipur Insurgent Groups and KNA-B Near Indo-Myanmar Border

4. In paragraph 7 of the write-up, it is alleged that “Our investigation has also confirmed that Anthony & Indian Army have been helping the PDF/KNA(B) to attack our camps in Myanmar to force us too to come to ceasefire, …”. Here, the word, ‘our camps”, signifies camps of Meitei dominated groups to which S. Khuman belongs, as the post is supposed to have been written by S. Khuman. This is yet another distortion of the truth. We are fighting with a combined Forces of Indian security forces and its Proxy Forces, KNF(B) along Manipur-Myanmar Border; even we have circumstantial evidences of some disguised Kuki military advisors from the Indian security forces taking part in attacks directly beyond the border. But we do not have any evidence, however remote and indirect, to arouse our suspicion against NSCN-IM people.

The elements of the social media post indicate the desperate attempt by the Indian Army to undermine NSCN’s recent series of revelations to the public about its unholy alliance with Kuki Militants in the ongoing state-engineered ethnic strife in Manipur by targeting NSCN-IM Anthony Shimray. Beyond this, it is a sinister design by the Indian Army to sow communal hatred among the indigenous peoples of Manipur, further fueling the ongoing conflict to push Manipur into complete ethnic turmoil, all in service of their colonial interests.

Therefore, we, the 5 revolutionary parties of Manipur/Kangleipak-KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK(Pro), and UNLF, appeal to our fellow indigenous peoples not to fall for such ill-motivated propaganda spread by our enemies.

Also read | NSCN-IM Accuses BSF of Transporting Illegal Immigrants from Churachandpur to Ukhrul

(This is the joint press statement of KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK (PRO), and UNLF issued on March 29, 2025.)