UNLF Leader Rajkumar Meghen to Return to Manipur after 44 Years: Report

Imphal, November 27, 2019:

Rajkumar Meghen, the chairperson of the Manipur-based separatist group United National Liberation Front (UNLF), is likely to return to Manipur after 44 long years in exile, reports said.

A source told Inside Northeast that Meghen will likely to retire from his revolutionary activities and settle down to a civilian life after his homecoming. "At one time, Meghen was regarded as one of the top leaders when the movement started; but now, the conversation has shifted towards other issues like the Citizenship Bill, Naga political issue, etc."

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It may be mentioned here that Meghen was released from the Guwahati Central Jail on November 10, after serving a sentence that lasted nearly a decade.

Meghan was in detention for the last ten years for “waging war against the state” and was kept a very low profile to avoid media attention. He is likely to arrive in Imphal on Monday.

He was arrested by Bangladeshi authorities in 2010 and was subsequently handed over to Indian authorities. Meghan however, never applied for any bail unlike other militant leaders of the region.

Reportedly, Meghan was convicted in 2016 and was awarded 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 70,000. Though his imprisonment would have ended in 2020, he was released beforehand on Saturday after the remittance of the rest of his term following his "good behaviour" during his imprisonment.

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Formed in 1964, UNLF is one of the oldest insurgent outfits in northeast India, which had been fighting for a sovereign Manipur. Unlike other insurgent outfits in India, UNLF is still firm on their demand for holding a plebiscite in Manipur.

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