A large section of the Meitei community regards M. Pramot Singh—chief of Meitei Leepun, a radical cultural organisation— as a hero and a philosopher. He has influenced the Meitei youth with the finesse of a Pied Piper. His supporters guard him diligently at his resort-like office atop the Meitei Langhol hill in Imphal. He keeps a loaded gun nearby; occasionally, he gives instructions to his people through a wireless set.
Singh is one of the most controversial figures in Manipur as Kukis accuse him of instigating violence. They say his cadres are embedded with the Manipur police. Many also raise concerns about his proximity to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
Meitei Leepun has amassed a large following, and many of its members are armed. Singh says over a thousand members of his group are trained in handling arms; he calls them “lallois,” a term derived from Manipur’s warrior culture. “We have more than a thousand lallois and around 14,000 paojellois in Imphal. Paojellois serve as evangelists, spreading my message far and wide. Their numbers are increasing by the day,” he says.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Singh says the Meiteis are the true indigenous people of Manipur and that the ongoing war is unavoidable.
Excerpts:
Q/ How can you justify the war when women are being stripped naked, paraded and raped?
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