In a development that immediately worried Indian security officials, the Maoist Communist Party of Manipur (MCPM) held its first political conference in August 2011. The MCPM has been active for the last few years under a different name and has quickly become one of the most important armed groups in Manipur. The Party has been involved in general strikes as well as a number of ambushes and attacks on police and military forces.

Manipur was declared an independent state in 1947, but in 1949 the Indian government annexed Manipur and declared it part of India. Since this time, communist politics have been taking root in the Northeast region, with an armed group called the Manipur Red Guards (which was later disbanded) forming as early as 1948. While the traditional Indian communist tradition tends to ignore the right of self-determination for oppressed nationalities, the people of Manipur have never recognized the Indian government as their representatives and have consistently fought against Indian imperialism. Even though Manipur was “granted” the status of a state within India in 1972, this status only gives the Manipur government very limited options in creating policies and direct government monies.

In the 1970s, the Manipuri activists and leaders, including N. Bisheswar Singh of the United National Liberation Front of Manipur, became heavily influenced by the Naxalite movement, Mao Zedong Thought and the military strategy of Protracted People’s War. From the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, Manipuri revolutionary groups engaged in armed struggle against police and military posts. Since 2009 the MCPM has been the largest revolutionary party in Manipur. The Party has allied with the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the armed struggle against Indian imperialism and semi-feudalism.