Security forces look at buffer zones on fringes of Imphal valley to check mobs

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Nine persons were killed on Tuesday night in incidents of firing and arson in Aigejang village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district. (PTI)

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After initial large-scale clashes from May 3 to 5, Manipur has seen a second major wave of violence, primarily in the form of arson and shootings in areas between the Kuki-dominated hills and the Meitei-dominated valley. (PTI)

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The incident from Tuesday night has taken the toll in Manipur since clashes began to at least 114. (PTI)

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Meanwhile, he residence of Union Minister R K Ranjan at Kongba in Imphal was torched by a mob on Thursday night. The Union Minister was not at home at the time of the incident. (PTI)

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For the past 18 days, about seven battalions of the Assam Rifles deployed in south Manipur have not received fresh ration with people in Meitei areas allegedly blocking supplies from reaching the camps of the force. (PTI)

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The Meiteis have been accusing the Assam Rifles, the longest-serving paramilitary force in the state, of being partisan and siding with the Kukis in the ongoing conflict. (PTI)

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Manipur has been witnessing violent clashes between two groups — Meiteis and Kukis — over the demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category since May 3, leaving more than 100 people dead. (PTI)

The security forces have now demarcated lines on either side of their new posts – ranging from a few hundred metres to even a kilometre, depending on the proximity of villages – which the Meitei and Kuki populations are not allowed to cross.

“The primary responsibility of the forces placed in the middle of the two populations is to ensure that Meiteis do not attempt to cross over towards Kuki villages and vice versa. We hope this will bring down incidents of arson and killings. Once violence is down, perhaps, talks can happen,” a senior security establishment officer said.

During the June 13 incident in Khamenlok in Kangpokpi district, in which 9 persons died, a Meitei mob had attacked a Kuki settlement. But they were later surrounded by the Kuki and shot dead.

Sources said there are no orders yet to disarm gunmen on either side. “People defend their villages given the situation… Yes, if we see someone carrying an assault rifle and rushing to the other side, we act. But we have orders to exercise restraint,” said a security force officer deployed in a fringe area near Churachandpur.

But ensuring complete separation of populations through hundreds of kilometres is easier said than done. Not only is it difficult to monitor unpopulated stretches where security forces are not present, and despite flying drones, there have been occasions when the mobs have tried to overwhelm security men with sheer numbers.

“I was once faced with a mob of over 200, including gunmen, who would just not retreat. We fired shots in the air and they shouted they were not scared of death. We had to then fire on the ground near their feet and force them to retreat,” an officer said.

The almost daily incidents of arson or law and order breakdown in and around Imphal city has also kept a significant section of the Central forces in urban areas – these would have otherwise been deployed on the fringes of the valley.

The two sides are also flying drones to monitor each other’s activities while communication is being done through police radios looted from armouries.

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Last week, during an arson attempt in the New Checkon area of Imphal, the mob fired tear gas shells at the Rapid Action Force. “We have never come across something like this. I had to deploy two men just to put out shells fired by the crowd,” an RAF officer said.