The two cases against Korounganba Khuman, the controversial leader of the outfit, are among the eight cases related to the Manipur violence that were shifted from the special NIA court in Imphal to Guwahati on the orders of the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

NIA had requested the top court to transfer the cases given the security situation in Manipur.

“The movement of the victims, witnesses, accused persons and their defence counsels to the special NIA court (in Imphal) is fraught with physical risks… the safety and security of the accused persons could also be at grave peril with the mobs trying to interfere and disrupt the work of investigation teams and even the judicial process,” NIA said in its transfer petition before the Supreme Court.

According to the NIA, Khuman led a group of AT cadres “armed with sophisticated weapons, sticks and other deadly weapons” wearing police uniforms and camouflaged dresses came in several vehicles and assembled at the Palace Compound in Imphal East district around 5:30 pm on November 1 last year.

The mob had gathered following Khuman’s post on Facebook, which when translated from Meitei, meant “please come all brave brothers, let us teach them a final lesson today”.

“When they were stopped by the Imphal East police at the palace gate, the group fired at police, overpowered the local police and proceeded through Sanjengthong bridge towards Imphal West side in many light vehicles,” NIA said in its FIR.

The second case against Khuman was a continuation of incidents related to the first one on November 1. According to NIA, the AT chief and his supporters went to the northwestern gate of the 1st Manipur Rifles (armed battalion) and ransacked government offices and belongings including vehicles and looted the arms and ammunition from the 1st Manipur Rifles battalion.

“After the arrival of reinforcement of security forces including civil police, Assam Rifles and CRPF, the assailants escaped with arms and ammunition looted from security personnel,” the FIR said.

Both cases were lodged by NIA in February this year.

The FIR charged Khuman and his associates with armed rioting, obstructing public servants, snatching, robbery, criminal conspiracy, terrorist act, looting of firearms from police/security force and unauthorised use of police/defence uniform.

Formed in 2020 as a socio-cultural outfit, Arambai Tenggol has metamorphosed into a radical Meitei outfit aimed at protecting the interests of the community using violent means, if needed.

According to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, Arambai Tenggol has also grown since May 2020 and has several thousand active members in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley. The group enjoys mass support from the community and has been accused of carrying out attacks on Kuki-Zos, and in some instances, targeted Nagas and even Meiteis opposed to their tactics.

The group was in the spotlight in January this year when it summoned all Meitei MLAs, MPs and ministers to a meeting at the Kangla Fort in Imphal on January 24 and forced them to take an oath to protect Manipur’s integrity and sign a six-point list of demands. When 3 MLAs, including two from BJP and the state Congress chief K Meghachandra refused to comply, they were assaulted by AT cadres.

Though he keeps appearing in social media posts and addresses gatherings in Imphal, not much is known about AT chief Khuman’s background except that he was previously a government contractor and is in his late thirties.