On Wednesday, more than 30 MLAs across party lines, a Union minister and a Rajya Sabha MP from Manipur gathered at the Kangla Fort in Imphal upon  “summons” from a radical Meitei organisation. On its request, they took an oath to raise “people’s concern”. The Chief Minister of the state, N Biren Singh, was among those who signed a document containing demands of the group.

The meeting was called by Arambai Tenggol , an oganisation that was not particularly known before the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities began last May.

But these developments on Wednesday underline its growing prominence.

While Biren Singh did not attend the Kangla Fort meeting, those in attendance included Minister of State for External Affairs and Inner Manipur Lok Sabha MP Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and Manipur Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba. Among the signatories on the document was former Manipur chief minister and senior Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that legislators were attacked at the meeting.

Taking to X on Thursday, the leader said: “The Indian National Congress strongly condemns the brutal physical assault on Manipur PCC President K. Meghachandra, in a meeting of all-party MLAs/ MPs/ Ministers, under full security protection of state and central forces, at Kangla in Imphal yesterday. The PM, however, continues with his eloquent silence on the enormous tragedy that has overtaken Manipur.”

Formed as a socio-cultural outfit in 2020, Arambai Tenggol has garnered tremendous public support and administrative clout in the Imphal Valley over the past nine months. The group derives its name — which roughly translates to “spear wielders” — from the ancient war tactics of the Meitei warriors.

The group is estimated to have an armed cadre strength of around 2,000 men and is supported by several thousand volunteers across the Valley.

After the violence broke out in the state last May, members of the group were seen to be at the forefront of the clashes with Kukis, looting arms from state armouries and defending Meitei villages against Kuki attacks. Multiple FIRs registered by the Manipur Police during the initial days of the violence in the state named Arambai Tenggol.

Kuki groups claim that Tenggol fighters have led mobs that torched their villages and killed their people, while the Manipur Police remained a mute spectator. The group’s cadre are also suspected to be involved in the recent clashes with Kuki militants in Moreh.

In an environment of a near-institutional collapse in Manipur, along with a complete separation of Meitei and Kuki populations and a general lack of trust on the fairness of police and security forces, a lot of radical and militant organisations have become operational on either side of the ethnic divide. Sources in the security establishment say that Tenggol and its newfound clout are a product of this.

As Arambai Tenggol chief Korounganba Khuman walked into the fort with his bodyguards on Wednesday morning, central armed police forces (CAPFs) looked on from the fringes. “It was like the Speaker calling a special session of the Assembly or the CM hosting an all-party meeting,” said a Manipur security official.

After the escalation of the recent violence in Moreh, there was considerable anger among Meitei populations in the Valley. To hold talks amid continuing violence, the Centre dispatched a team to Manipur, led by its pointsman in the Northeast and former Intelligence Bureau Chief A K Mishra. The team also met Arambai Tenggol — another instance of their importance in the current landscape of the state.

The group also carries a political shadow. In a social media post in August 2022, the group claimed to have met Biren Singh. A picture of the meeting showed Biren Singh and Sanajaoba sitting with Khuman and other members of the Arambai Tenggol.

A Facebook post in September that year by Sanajaoba, who is also the titular king of Manipur, showed Tenggol members taking “oath” at his residence.

Tenggol members typically wear black T-shirts with a red coloured picture of Meitei cavalry on the back. They also hoist Salai Taret flags which have seven colours; each represents a clan of the Meiteis.

Security establishment sources say that leaders of the group often invoke ancient Meitei culture and the historical Meitei kingdom of Kangleipak as well as use nationalistic rhetoric and talk about the protection of the Sanamahism religion.

“By putting themselves at the forefront of violence against the Kukis and defending villages against Kuki attacks, the group has garnered tremendous public support in the Valley. It has sophisticated arms, mostly looted from police armouries, and enjoys some sympathy in the Manipur Police constabulary. At a time when the credibility of Manipur politicians is rather low, the group has gained clout. Everyone, including political leaders, want to associate with it,” said a Manipur official.

Sources said the security establishment too is wary of taking any action against the group, or even against the Kuki militant groups, given the support they enjoy at the moment in their respective areas of influence.

In May last year, when it began making headlines in context of the violence in the state, the Arambai Tenggol group had announced its dissolution. Security establishment sources, however, say it merely went underground and kept operating on the fringes of the Valley.

Not much is known about the background of its chief, Khuman, barring that he comes from a humble background and worked as a government contractor before starting the group. He often puts his pictures on social media wearing a bullet-proof vest and carrying sophisticated guns. In the past three months, Khuman has regularly appeared in public, making speeches in Imphal and publicly showing the strength of the group through rallies, sources said. “The group is claiming some political space with the acquiescence of political leaders. We are watching these developments,” a central security establishment officer said.