Former UNLF Chairman Rajkumar Meghen Launches Personal Peace Initiative, Engages Naga and Meitei Leaders to Promote Reconciliation in Manipur

KalimNews, July 6, 2026, Imphal :  Rajkumar Meghen, the former chairman of the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF), has emerged in public for the first time since his release from prison in 2019, launching what he describes as a personal initiative aimed at encouraging peace and reconciliation in conflict-hit Manipur.

Meghen, who was convicted in 2016 on charges including waging war against the Indian state and completed his sentence before being released in November 2019, is currently in New Delhi meeting academics, legal experts, civil society representatives, student leaders, and intellectuals from the Naga and Meitei communities. His objective, he says, is to help build a broad coalition that could lay the foundation for a meaningful peace process in the state.

Describing the effort as a humanitarian rather than a political mission, Meghen said his purpose is to encourage people from different communities to recognize that continued violence offers no solution. According to him, the prolonged conflict is harming everyone and risks leaving future generations burdened by instability and uncertainty. He stressed that his outreach is intended as an appeal to people's conscience, urging all sides to consider the long-term consequences of the ongoing crisis.

This marks Meghen's first visit to New Delhi since 2006. He arrived in the capital on 3 July and has already held discussions with Naga and Meitei academicians, thought leaders, members of Meitei civil society organisations, student groups, and representatives of the Meitei Pangal community. Several additional meetings are scheduled over the coming days.

Meghen also said that his initiative remains open to every community in Manipur. He expressed his willingness to meet representatives of Kuki civil society organisations if they are prepared to engage in dialogue, emphasizing that inclusive conversations are essential for lasting peace.

Calling the effort entirely his own and undertaken in a personal capacity, Meghen said he felt compelled to act at a time when conventional mechanisms appeared to have failed. He believes that when institutions struggle to resolve deep-rooted conflicts, respected members of society have a responsibility to step forward and encourage dialogue.

He explained that he hopes to listen carefully to the perspectives of different communities, understand their aspirations for Manipur's future, and explore ways in which they can work together toward shared objectives. According to Meghen, peaceful and interdependent coexistence has become an urgent necessity for the state, and while his initiative is only a modest beginning, he hopes it can evolve into a coalition built around common goals across all communities.

Rajkumar Meghen joined the UNLF during the 1970s. In 1990, the organisation launched an armed movement seeking what it described as the liberation of Manipur from India and established its armed wing, the Manipur People's Army (MPA). Meghen later operated from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and several European countries, playing a significant role in directing the insurgent organisation. He became the chairman of the UNLF in 1998.

Throughout his leadership, Meghen maintained that Manipur's merger with India in 1949 was illegitimate and argued that the people of the state should have the right to determine their own political future. On that basis, he defended the armed movement for Manipur's sovereignty.

In 2010, Meghen was arrested in Bangladesh and subsequently handed over to Indian authorities. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) charged him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) with offences including waging war against the state, criminal conspiracy, terrorism-related activities, and raising funds through extortion. He was convicted in 2016 and spent nearly nine and a half years in Guwahati Central Jail before being released in November 2019 after receiving remission in recognition of good conduct and his involvement in prison reform initiatives.

The United National Liberation Front, founded in 1964 under the leadership of Arambam Samarendra, is regarded as the oldest known Meitei insurgent organisation in Manipur. The group was established with the objective of creating an independent and sovereign Manipur.

On 13 November 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs extended the ban on nine Meitei insurgent organisations, including the UNLF. In its notification, the ministry stated that these groups had engaged in activities considered prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India. The notification further warned that, if left unchecked, the organisations could continue targeting civilians, police personnel and security forces, procure illegal arms and ammunition from across international borders, and raise funds through extortion to support unlawful activities.

Later in November 2023, the Government of India signed a peace agreement with the UNLF (Pambei), a faction led by Kh Pambei that had split from the main UNLF in 2021. The remaining faction, now headed by Koirang, continues to remain active.