Guwahati:Amid escalating violence in strife-ridden Manipur, where at least nine people have been killed in recent days in a massive gunfight between two armed groups, security forces on Sunday deployed anti-drone systems in the peripheral areas of Imphal Valley to repel any attack by “rogue drones.” The situation further deteriorated after several hillside villages in the valley were attacked with improvised rockets and bombs dropped from drones.
At least five people were killed on Saturday after a gunfight broke out between two armed groups following the killing of an elderly Meitei man in Manipur's Jiribam district.
According to security sources, suspected “Kuki militants” stormed the house of 63-year-old Y Kulachandra at Ningthem Khunou, about 5 km from Jiribam police station in the district headquarters, on Saturday morning and shot him dead. The incident reportedly took place at 5 am when Kulachandra was still asleep.
A subsequent gunfight between the gunmen and another armed group in the Nungcheppi area left four Kuki gunmen and one Meitei gunman dead, police said.
The escalating violence has triggered speculation in the political corridor of the state that the central government was contemplating invoking Article 355 of the constitution, thereby taking over law and order control of the state under its command by forming the Unified Command of security forces.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday called on state Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and discussed the current law and order situation in the state.
Stating that the chief minister pleaded with the Governor that the Unified Command of the security forces should be functional under the state chief minister, ruling party sources said he also proposed that the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Kuki rebel groups and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which lapsed in February this year and has not been extended so far, should also be scrapped.
Shortly after Saturday's violence, the Manipur chief minister chaired a meeting of ruling party MPs (the BJP-led government in Manipur also includes MPs from the Naga People's Front, the National People's Party and the Janata Dal (United). According to an MP, 24 lawmakers, including six cabinet ministers, attended the meeting. BJP MP from Lamlai, Kh Ibomcha, said a decision had been taken to pressurise the Centre to “take appropriate steps to bring the militants under control”.
“Under these circumstances, it is not possible to restore normality due to attacks with sophisticated weapons. That is why it was said that we should put pressure on the central leadership. Tomorrow, all deputies will meet with the governor to raise this issue,” he said.
The use of a small remote-controlled flying device (drone) as a weapon was first observed on September 1 in Koutruk village in the western district of Imphal. Two people were killed and nine others injured in the attack, which also involved the use of firearms.
The next day, drones were used again in Senjam Chirang, about 3 kilometres away, injuring three people.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders were imposed in Jiribam district on Saturday evening, preventing the assembly of five or more people, according to a notification. Five people were killed in fresh violence in Jiribam on Saturday.
Security forces also unearthed a cache of weapons following the Jiribam violence. Among the confiscated weapons were sniper rifles, pistols, rifles, short- and long-range mortars, grenades and long-range rocket bombs, among other ammunition.
A massive sweeping operation to track militants was underway in Manipur a day after at least five people were killed in fresh violence in Jiribam district amid drone and rocket attacks.