Massive crackdown against militants and steps to restore communication between hills and valley planned to bring in normalcy in Manipur
In just one week, security forces have arrested over 30 insurgents, including a senior leader from various militant outfits. Several village volunteers were also detained, triggering protests in multiple areas across Imphal
Guwahati: The central government has worked out a multi-pronged strategy to restore law and order in trouble-torn Manipur by launching a massive crackdown against all the armed rebel groups besides proposing an amnesty plan to recover illegal arms and restore free movement of people and goods across the state.
Informing that security forces have already started taking steps to remove illegal check posts of Kuki groups in hill areas, security sources said that there were protests in many parts of the state’s valley after 26 members of Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei militia, were rounded up on Friday along with some village volunteers. They were released later.
In just one week, security forces have arrested over 30 insurgents, including a senior leader from various militant outfits. Several village volunteers were also detained, triggering protests in multiple areas across Imphal.
The arrested militants belong to various valley-based insurgent groups, including the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), People’s Liberation Army (PLA), PREPAK, and KYKL, as well as Kuki militant groups such as the Kuki National Army (KNA) and United National Kuki Army (UNKA).
Pointing out that the amnesty scheme has been rolled out for those who have looted weapons from police armouries, security sources said that Governor A K Bhalla has already issued a statement Thursday that if arms looted from armouries are returned within the next seven days, no prosecution will take place. Beyond the deadline, strict action will be taken against those in possession of looted or sophisticated weapons – more than 6,000 weapons are estimated to have been looted since the start of the ethnic violence.
Asserting that as there is President’s rule in the state the security forces have been empowered to work freely, security sources said that priority of the administration would be to restore confidence of all the ethnic groups in the state administration.
Indicating that specific actions have been planned in the hills, including better regulation of movement of goods and people in Moreh and speedy construction of the India-Myanmar border fence in Manipur, security sources said that militants on both sides of the ethnic divide have now been arrested.
Security sources said that another big step that the administration has planned to restore communication between hills and valley, is to ferry people and goods from the valley to the hills and vice versa.
It is significant that since ethnic violence broke out, the hill areas get their supplies through Mizoram because Meitei groups do not allow goods trucks headed to the hills to pass through the valley. People in the hills, especially the Kuki, also cannot come to the valley to board a flight out of the state. Similarly, those in the valley, especially the Meitei, have no option but to fly out because road journeys out of Imphal will mean passing through the Kuki-dominated hills.
Security sources said that security forces have also been asked to take necessary steps to rope in the civil society groups to restore the communications between the ethnic groups besides winning over their confidence in the administration.