Army, Assam rifles join operations to retrieve looted arms in Manipur
Manipur violence: At least 102 people have been killed, over 300 injured and nearly 40,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3.
Security forces including Indian Army and Assam Rifles on Wednesday launched joint combing operations in Manipur to recover arms looted by mobs from police stations and government armories of the ethnic violence-hit state. “Locals in possession of such weapons are urged to surrender them to the security forces for the sake of peace and harmony,” the Spear Corps division of army said in a brief statement.
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At least 102 people have been killed, over 300 injured and nearly 40,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state between numerically dominant Meitei community — which forms 53% of the state population — and tribal communities, especially Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Violent clashes broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
According to the army, combing operations were launched both in the Imphal Valley, which is Meitei dominated, and in the hill districts, some of which have a Kuki majority population.
“In Manipur, during the last 24 hours, 57 arms, 318 ammunition and five bombs have been recovered from Porompat police station in Imphal East and Sugnu police station in Kakching districts,” security advisor to the state government Kuldiep Singh said in a press statement on Wednesday. “A total of 868 arms and 11,518 ammunition have been recovered till date.”
As per the state police’s estimates, at least 3,500 weapons and 500,000 ammunitions have been stolen by mobs.
“29 weapons were recovered by security forces during joint combing operations in Manipur on 7 June,” tweeted the official Twitter account of the Spear Corps, Indian Army.
State police officers familiar with the matter said barring a few, the 868 weapons seized or surrendered so far are those stolen by mobs from armories of different police units since May 3.
Singh, the former CRPF director general who is overseeing the operations in the violence-hit state, said that curfew has been relaxed for 12 hours in five valley districts and for 8 hours in neighbouring hill districts. “There is no curfew in six other hill districts,” he said in a press statement.
Movement of essential items along NH-37 has been ensured, he said, adding that paramilitary forces continue to remain posted in the highway to ensure movement of essential services.
“A total of 244 empty vehicles left Imphal for Jiribam on Wednesday besides 212 loaded vehicles left Noney and 212 loaded tankers and trucks left Jiribam,” he said.
Read here: BSF constable killed, 2 security personnel injured in violence-hit Manipur
Union home minister Amit Shah on June 4 urged people to lift the blockade at the Imphal-Dimapur section of NH2 and allow movement of vehicles so that essential items could be delivered to the northeastern state.
On Tuesday, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate-2023 or (NEET-UG) for admissions to medical colleges was held in Manipur at 22 centres — 12 in Imphal West and 10 in Imphal East. “The examination was conducted in a peaceful manner and the attendance was normal,” Singh said, adding that state ministers and legislators were visiting different parts of the state and appealing people for peace.
“Security forces are also organising meetings with CSOs, village heads and appealing for peace and normalcy besides their duty of area domination and patrolling,” he added.
Documents of the government order, seen by HT, showed the army on June 6 requested nomination of 19 executive magistrates to be present for the combing operations starting Wednesday. The magistrates were required for the districts of Kangpokpi, Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching , Bishnupur, Jiribam.
Maximum 10 magistrates were required in the Imphal West and East districts, followed by four in Kangpokpi, documents showed. In each district, the army has nominated a colonel or a brigadier rank officer to coordinate with the magistrate.
In the backdrop of reports that magistrates were assigned majorly for valley districts where Kuki and other tribal groups reside, another order was issued on Wednesday by Manipur commissioner (home), assigning magistrates to be present with army personnel in additional districts such as Kamjong, Tengnoupal, Chandel, Churchandpur and Pherzawl. Vineet Joshi, the state’s chief secretary, said that in police station areas where AFSPA is not lifted, magistrates are not necessary during such operations.
“...The army requested magistrates only for these districts as executive magistrate is not required for conduct of combing operations in other districts where AFSPA is in force. However, it has been widely circulated in social media that combing operations will be conducted only in the valley districts which is not correct...further to dispel misunderstanding among public, the deputy commissioners of the districts of Churachandpur, Pherzawal, Tengnoupal, Chandel and Kanjong have also been advised to detail executive magistrates for the operations conducted by the security formations even though AFSPA is in force in these districts,”Joshi said in a press statement.
In a related development, a group of women from the Kuki Women’s Forum Delhi and NCR protested outside Union home minister’s Amit Shah’s residence, however, police shifted them to the Jantar Mantar within an hour. They also submitted a memorandum alleging that the state police was biased . Timothy C, representative of the Kuki students group confirmed that the women’s group submitted the memorandum.
Read here: 1 BSF jawan killed, 2 Assam Rifles soldiers injured in firing by militants
To be sure, the state government has denied allegations of bias by police or security forces.
