New Delhi: The security response to the Manipur situation is fast turning into a web of recriminations, contradicting accounts by police, Army and government officials show, even as a game of point-counter point plays out on social media amid a fresh escalation in ethnic violence.
Experts say that even as the sensitive situation requires a concerted effort by all stakeholders, the security apparatus in the strife-torn Northeastern state appears to lack coordination and consensus. One such example was the Indian Army’s Spear Corps taking to social media platform X to seek information from Manipur Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh on intelligence regarding suspected Kuki militants.
This was after Singh said at a press conference that he had held a meeting with the security forces about 900 Kuki militants entering from Myanmar and that the input was “100 percent correct unless proven wrong”. The Army unit’s post was later deleted.
While the forces are contradicting each other’s claims in public, Chief Minister Biren Singh is at odds with the DGP and the Centre’s security adviser, it is learnt.
ThePrint has learnt that despite the fresh spate of violence in Manipur this month, the chief minister does not regularly meet with DGP Rajiv Singh, who was appointed on state orders. In fact, the CM’s office has been complaining about him not having “any powers”.
Sources in the CM office told ThePrint that the DGP does not pay “any heed” to the many intelligence inputs sent to him to act upon. Sources in the police, however, denied the claim, saying that all inputs are “taken seriously” and that the chief minister is crying foul to play political games and depict himself as a victim by convincing his community that he is powerless.
Manipur has been plagued by ethnic violence for the last 1.5 years, which has left over 250 people dead and displaced 50,000 so far.
The alleged indifference of the police to intelligence inputs by the CM’s office, and the contradictory versions of events by different forces, is making matters worse. For instance, about the 1 September episode of alleged drone bombing in Koutruk, the police claimed that crude and sophisticated bombs were dropped using drones in the area, but the Assam Rifles and the Army denied having any evidence of such bombings.
“This is an extremely dangerous situation. Just imagine a state under conflict, where the CM who has the police under him, says he is powerless and the DGP is not listening to him. A place where bombs are being dropped, rockets are being launched, the state’s machinery has completely collapsed and people in authority are countering each other,” a police source said.
“It is a mess. The state departments and the neutral parties sent to Manipur by the Centre are not getting along. How can peace ever return in such a situation? And in all this, the Home Ministry has been a silent spectator and the state is burning.”
The source claimed that the DGP and security adviser have, however, remained neutral.
“At least they have been a neutral force in all of this. They do not belong to any community. They have no personal interest. But if they are not given support from the state machinery, they will have a tough time handling the situation, which has been happening for months now. The CM should be working with the security forces, not against them,” the source told ThePrint.
On 2 September, R.K. Imo Singh, member of Manipur assembly and the chief minister’s son-in-law, had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting that the central forces be removed from the state and the leadership of the Unified Command be transferred to CM Biren Singh. This was also a key demand of students who held protests—that turned violent—across Imphal over the last two weeks.
The Unified Command is meant to ensure coordination between the different forces, including the police, Army, Assam Rifles and the various Central Armed Police Forces. It is currently headed by Kuldiep Singh, a retired Indian Police Service officer and security adviser to the chief minister.
“The CM has no power. He is being made the scapegoat for all what is happening. When he has no powers, how can he act? We had given intelligence inputs to police on several occasions, which they did not act upon,” a source in the chief minister’s office said. “Either he is removed and total control goes to the Centre, or he should be given full charge of the state.”
Biren Singh does have “cordial relations with Home Minister Amit Shah and updates him on the situation in the state on a regular basis”, the source further said.
Police vs Army, Assam Rifles
On 1 September, bombs were allegedly dropped with the help of drones in Koutruk, Bishnupur district from the hillside. According to the police, it was the first time that security forces and civilians had been attacked by means of high-tech drones launching Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) at them, marking a “significant escalation” in the ongoing strife in Manipur.
The incident, however, sparked a war of claims and counterclaims between the Kukis and Meiteis. To add to that, official versions of the incident also differed depending on who was asked.
Manipur Police claimed that drones were used to drop a mix of crude and factory-made, though not very lethal, bombs. Security forces have maintained that there is no evidence to support claims of drone bombing.
That’s not all. Former director general of Assam Rifles Lieutenant General P.C. Nair (Retd) also echoed the view and added that the police, too, were sharply divided on ethnic lines. To this, the Manipur Police reacted strongly by calling Nair’s comments “immature” at a press conference.
Inspector General of Police (Operations) I.K. Muivah said that the force “strongly refutes” several points, particularly the ‘Meitei Police’ reference made by the former Assam Rifles chief.
“Manipur Police comprises people from all communities, whether from the mainland, Nagas, Kukis, Meiteis. There is no such thing as the statement which he made. It is an immature statement, which shows a myopic mindset. We want to refute that,” Muivah had said in a press conference in Imphal.
Following this, media reports indicated that the Army said that it had found no evidence of drones being used in Manipur. The police, however, maintained that they had “strong evidence”.
Asked why the Army and the police had two separate versions on the incident, a source in the police said, “Senior police officers, including the SP (Superintendent of Police) and IG (Inspector General) were at the spot when the bombs were being dropped. The evidence collected by police shows that it was a mix of factory-made and crude bombs. There is also a ring, a drop pin on the bomb, which we suspect was used to suspend the bomb to a drone. How can this evidence be ignored?”
The source added, “The Army was not at the spot when it happened. Just a few videos cannot form a basis of whether it happened or not. We are not sure why and how the Assam Rifles or the Army are making such claims.”
Sources in the defence establishment, however, said that there was “a lot of hype” around the alleged incident. One source said that drones have been used in the past,too, by both sides. “They were used by Meiteis to drop bombs in December. Local Kukis do not have those resources. Even if they use drones, they can only drop a few of them, not 50 as is being claimed.”
Speaking to ThePrint, a second police source said that it would be wrong to say that there is miscoordination between forces. “Work is happening. The forces may have a different work style, but there is coordination. At times they may not agree with us, but this doesn’t hamper our work.”
About Sunday’s X post by Spear Corps, the source said, “That input (infiltration attempt by 900 Kuki militants from Myanmar) was received from the CM office and we acted upon it. The security adviser called for a press conference to assure the general public that there is no need to panic and that the forces are verifying the details and looking into it. A meeting was also called.”
“We are not sure what prompted that post. We are also not sure whether it was a genuine or fake post as it was not on the Spear Corps’ handle,” the source further said.
This source added that Kuldeip Singh did not say that 900 Kukis have infiltrated from Myanmar. “He just said—unless it is proven wrong, it is 100 percent correct.”
“If we have received intelligence input from the state, we will definitely look into it. What Mr. Singh meant was that the information has not been taken lightly and in wake of such an input, alerts have been sent to all district police chiefs and also the Assam Rifles and the Army,” the source further said. “This was done as the input had triggered panic in the valley.”
Police vs CM’s office
Although tensions between Manipur Police and the Chief Minister’s office had been present for long, the rift and disagreements were uncovered in June, when violence flared up in Jiribam district.
The chief minister’s office had “leaked” an intelligence report, which was sent to the Manipur Police, claiming that it had alerted them about the movement of 200 Kuki-Zo militants from Churachandpur towards Jiribam in January, but no action was taken.
Sources in the CM office also said that officials had alerted the DGP and security adviser twice, but they “sat over it”.
Reacting to this, the police said that the input was sent in January, while the incident happened in June.
“Nothing happened in Jiribam for a long time. This input was sent to us in January, and we were able to secure the place and there was five months of peace. Over 100 such inputs come to us on a daily basis and we do the assessment based on several factors,” a second police source said.
Sources in the CM office alleged that another intelligence input was passed on to the DGP, security adviser, chief secretary and home commissioner regarding drones being used to drop bombs, before the 1 September incident.
“We have been sharing these intelligence inputs with them well in advance. But since they do not act on them, things go out of hand. Since the CM’s powers and role is restricted, he can only do as much,” the source said.
However, a senior police officer told ThePrint that all these inputs are taken with “utmost seriousness”.
“This week, another such input came: over 900 Kuki militants, newly trained in the use of drone-based bombs, have entered Manipur from Myanmar. Did we ignore it? No, we are acting on it. Immediately, a meeting was called. This is nothing but just crying foul,” the officer said.
A third source in the police said the issue is more political than it being about Manipur’s security and peace.
“The CM and his supporters have been demanding removal of DGP and adviser. Every second day, there is a protest by his supporters, in which petrol bombs are hurled, slingshots and even firearms are used. These protestors make students a front to disturb law and order. It appears that the chief minister just wants to secure his position somehow. The police or forces are neutral and have no stakes,” the source said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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