Imphal/Guwahati: The Manipur government along with the central security agencies are sparing no effort to check the infiltration of “900 Kuki militants” along the Indo-Myanmar border, as inputs suggest, said Security Adviser to the Manipur Government, Kuldiep Singh, Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the Durbar Hall in the Chief Minister Secretariat Friday, Singh said that combined forces of state and central security have been alerted in strategic areas. Acknowledging that there has been an escalation in violence in the state as well as incidents around law and order, Singh confirmed the use of drones, rockets and missile-based systems by armed groups in the emerging conflict scenario.
He stated that measures to tackle the same have been deliberated upon at a meeting of the Strategic Operations Group (SOG) on 18 September. The meeting was chaired by Singh in presence of Central and state security officials.
“There has been an input circulated since the past 3-4 days—of 900 Kuki militants attempting to strike in and around 28 September. The government thought it prudent that the efforts taken must be shared with the public so that there’s no confidence lost, and people feel safe,” said Singh.
On Tuesday, a letter from the Secretary to the Chief Minister, N Geoffrey, addressed to the Director General of Police Manipur, the Security Adviser, and the Home Commissioner surfaced on social media. A copy of the letter, as seen by ThePrint, mentioned that reports have been received on the “infiltration of over 900 Kuki militants, newly trained in the use of drone-based bombs, projectiles, missiles, and jungle warfare, having entered Manipur from Myanmar”.
The letter stated that the “militants grouped in units of 30 members each are currently scattered in the periphery, and expected to launch multiple coordinated attacks on Meitei villages around 28 September”.
The signed copy was marked ‘immediate’, and requested the police department to take all necessary measures.
While the letter caused tension among the general public, ThePrint tried to verify its authenticity by reaching out to the Secretary to the Chief Minister, N. Geoffrey. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
On Friday, a stamped notice signed under the senior superintendent of police, Thoubal district, was sent to the assistant superintendent of police (ASP Operations, Thoubal) and others, alerting them of the same intelligence inputs, reportedly received Tuesday from the office of the assistant director general of police (ADGP), law and order. The communication, which might have been leaked to the media, was marked ‘secret’ and ‘most immediate’.
Earlier in July, the Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) had issued notices to Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh and Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh for failing to “act in time” and prevent the violence in Jiribam district in June, despite intelligence reports from the state government.
Meanwhile, the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) issued a press statement Saturday, terming Kuldiep Singh’s claims as “more of propaganda, and less of facts”.
Attributing the concerns to ‘rumour’, the KSO stated that that if the letter bearing the signature of the Secretary to Chief Minister was genuine, the security adviser and other security establishments would have known about it before being apprised of the inputs by the secretary to the CM.
“If it was genuine, how is the security adviser of the state the last person in the security establishment to know about it? Four days after the propaganda letter got viral,” the KSO questioned.
The KSO alleged that the press conference by the state security adviser was done “under duress”.
Calling for Singh’s resignation, the KSO stated that the possible presence of infiltrators suggests a security lapse under his supervision.
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Anti-drone systems, combing operations
The meeting of the SOG deliberated upon the use of drones, rockets and missiles in the ethnic conflict since early September. It was attended by officials of the Army, the paramilitary force of Assam Rifles besides Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Manipur Police.
“The size of the rocket is not less than 9-10 feet, and weighs about 24-25 kilos, and the diametre of the pipe is also sizeable,” Singh told reporters at the press conference.
On 6 September, a 70-year-old man was killed and five others injured when a “rocket” struck the house of Manipur’s first Chief Minister, late Mairembam Koireng Singh, in Bishnupur district.
The security forces are also coordinating with village councils to check transportation of any drone or rocket systems. Kuldiep Singh further mentioned that three exploded rockets, and one unfired, were among the seized weapons, and that efforts are on to ascertain the manufacturing source.
“One can carry a rocket for a kilometre or two, but to move further, a medium-sized vehicle would be required,” Singh added. Meanwhile, the forces on ground have been equipped with binoculars to keep an eye on any attempts of transportation.
Singh said that both the border police and the Assam Rifles have been cautioned, and the districts of Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, Kamjong, Ukhrul and Pherzawl have been put on high alert.
Besides, combing operations would be carried out to look for raw materials used in the manufacture of drones, rockets and missiles, and also parts of the weapons including pipes, explosives and bombs.
“All connected roads and villages within 5 km radius towards the hill side, and within sizeable depth in the valley side are also being checked,” Singh informed.
The army and the Assam Rifles would also be deploying anti-drone measures alongside the CRPF. Anti-drone detection systems including spoofing would be taken up.
About 15-17 drones have been jammed (disabled) through anti-drone detection systems since anti-drone operations were launched in the state, said Singh.
“One drone was spoofed, but could not be recovered as it fell into the hills in the thickly forested area,” he added.
A standard operating procedure (SOP) and necessary approvals for flying drones were also discussed so that the forces can operate the anti-drone systems with ease.
Further, all construction project sites, including roads and railway are being checked for explosives.
Since the violence erupted in May last year, around 533 individuals have been arrested, including some who attacked the Chief Minister’s convoy along NH-37 (Imphal-Silchar via Jiribam). So far, the security forces have destroyed 468 bunkers, Singh mentioned.
Of the 6,000 arms looted from state armouries, a total of 2,681 weapons have been seized and recovered. Singh informed that among the weapons recovered, only 1,200 were looted. Out of the 1,400 weapons “not looted”, 800 are sophisticated, he added
Meanwhile, routine search operations and area domination are being carried out across the state by security forces. On Friday, joint search operations in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts led to the recovery of 7 IEDs weighing 28.5 Kgs, and other items from Bongjang in Imphal East District.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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