PREPAK salutes martyrs, recalls 1978, 1985
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 08 2026: On the eve of the martyrs' memorial day (Athoubasinggi Ningsing Numit), the proscribed PREPAK and its armed wing Red Army have paid homage to all the martyrs who have laid their lives for the cause of the liberation movement.

It was on November 12, 1978 that PREPAK's Dhiren alias Angam, Kabikanta alias Leingam and PLA's Gambhir laid down their lives in a battle fought against a combined team of CRPF and Manipur Police at a transit camp of PREPAK located at Leimarok, Kameng.

Again, it was on November 12, 1985 that PREPAK leader Tulachandra alias Loyataba fell to a bullet fired by security personnel deployed at Kabowakching sugar factory.

Taking this common date, PREPAK has been observing martyrs' memorial day on November 12 every year in honour of all the people who had laid down their lives in the course of the liberation movement.

A statement issued by the outfit's Charge-de-Affairs, Publicity and Propaganda LeibaakNgaakpa Luwang said that they would observe the martyrs' memorial day this year too on Thursday together with the masses.

Even as PREPAK has been fighting relentlessly against India to restore the lost sovereignty of Kangleipak, the erstwhile independent Nation has been facing growing challenges to its integrity and identity, it said.

The Government of India has been subjecting the people of Kangleipak to all kinds of oppressive and repressive measures including mass murders, fake encounter killings, custodial deaths, engineering forced disappearances, rape, imposing collective fines and creating divisions among the communities, it alleged.

In the meantime, local politicians have been working consistently to misinterpret the history of Kangleipak and mislead the masses.

Such activities of these local politicians have turned out to be a formidable reactionary force and pose a serious obstacle to the liberation movement, the outfit said.

Nonetheless, PREPAK has been fighting and will continue to liberate Kangleipak and transform Kangleipak into a progressive, socialist Nation, it asserted.

The outfit also recalled how India humiliated Kangleipak and her people by reducing the erstwhile proud, independent Nation to a Part C province before granting Statehood in 1972 .

Since the alleged forced annexation of Manipur on October 15, 1949, India has been scheming consistently to transplant non-local population, turn Kangleipak into a captive, exploit its resources and militarise the whole State.

The ongoing revolutionary movement is not a secessionist movement but a movement to win back the independence forcibly usurped by the Government of India, it said.

Following sharp criticism from the European Parliament and the UN Human Rights Commission over rampant human rights violations in Kangleipak, India altered its strategy and turned to igniting communal conflicts, the outfit said.

One fundamental factor for creating these internal contradictions is the fact that the struggle seen in Manipur is between the oppressed people and the oppressor, and this struggle is a 'principle antagonistic contradiction', it asserted.

PREPAK said that the Government of India has been plotting to ignite communal conflicts in order to transform this 'principle antagonistic contradiction' into 'non-principle contradiction' .

Whether it is between Nagas and Kukis or Kukis and Meiteis, the Government of India will always work to keep this fire of communal conflicts burning.

In these conflicts, India and its armed forces have been using a particular community as their proxy army, it asserted.

Kangleipak has lost its sovereignty, its territorial integrity is facing multiple challenges, communities are unable to live together, its history is being distorted and there have been constant efforts to destroy the idea of Kangleipak, the outfit said.

It maintained that ethnic Nationalism often contradicts the integrity of a Nation.

Cultural Nationalism too diminishes the collective anti-colonial force.

The first priority must be fighting colonialism.

All other issues can be addressed once a Nation is freed from colonialism, it asserted.

The outfit said that the fight against colonialism is the collective responsibility of all sections of people.

In a multi-ethnic Nation like Kangleipak, ethnic Nationalism and chauvinism can lead to balkanisation of the Nation, it said.

It is crucial to choose the kind of Nationalism suitable to the soil of Kangleipak and understand that the common enemy is the oppressor.

It is also equally imperative for everyone to stay away from ethnic Nationalism, chauvinism, hyper Nationalism and collaborators; realise the importance of composite integrity, identify common interest, shared values and promote economic self-reliance, the outfit said.

It further appealed to all people to suspend all merry-making and entertainment programmes on November 12, 2026 and offer lamps to all martyrs in the evening.

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