NEW DELHI, Nov 22: The Centre will send over 10,000 more soldiers to ethnic violence-hit Manipur, taking the total number of companies of the central forces to 288 in the state neighbouring Myanmar, the state’s Chief Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh told reporters on Friday.
He said 258 people have died in the Manipur violence since May 2023. “We are getting 90 more companies of approximately 10,800 personnel. A sizable portion has already reached Imphal. We have been distributing the forces to protect lives and properties of civilians and monitor vulnerable areas and points,” Mr Singh said.
“All areas will be covered in a few days. We have made fool-proof arrangements. New coordination cells and joint control rooms will be set up in every district. We have reviewed those that are already functioning,” he said.
Mr Singh said the security forces have so far recovered approximately 3,000 weapons looted from police armouries since clashes began between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes in May 2023.
He said all the forces including the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), army, Assam Rifles, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal were working together. “We are all together in tackling the Manipur issue. Whatever problem comes up, we deal with them together. Operations are already going on,” Mr Singh said, adding that a new standard operating procedure (SOP) will be set up to secure fringe areas and national highways.
The violence escalated after a woman from the Hmar tribe, a mother of three children, was allegedly killed by suspected Meitei militants in Jiribam’s Zairawn village on November 7. In retaliation, two dozen Kuki militants attacked Jiribam’s Borobekra on November 11.
While 10 were killed in an encounter with the CRPF, the rest took six members of a Meitei family hostage and escaped. Two more Meiteis, both senior citizens, were killed by the Kuki militants before the encounter with the CRPF began. The bodies of the six hostages including an infant were found in a river.
(Manas Dasgupta)