Last month, several attacks that were similar in nature were attempted using improvised weapons made locally in Manipur. A top official in Manipur said that the government had constituted a committee to investigate the weapons used in these attempts. However, by the time the committee could finish its probe, alleged Kuki militants launched fresh attacks killing civilians in September.
Importantly, these attacks, including drone attacks, were carried out using locally made weapons, not those looted or stolen from police stations, the official said. Sources in the police also said that officers were trying to trace the location from which these attacks originated so that counterattacks could be targeted at the epicentre of the attacks.
According to intelligence inputs, locations near the Myanmar border have been identified, which forces suspect to be the base of these attacks. Sources also said that one of these areas may have a factory-like setup where these weapons are being manufactured.
“Initial probes suggest that these weapons contain explosives such as ammonium nitrate and gelignite (blasting gelatin). No other high-grade explosives have been identified so far, but we are not ruling out the possibility as the probe continues,” a senior official of the Manipur government told News18.
The Manipur Police have also recovered such improvised weapons during various search operations in the state. These weapons have a high firing range. Operations have been conducted in both Hill and Valley districts.
Manipur has been experiencing fresh tension following drone attacks, which have left both police and forces shocked. Five people died in an exchange of gunfire that took place early on Saturday between Kuki and Meitei groups in Jiribam district amid renewed violence in the northeastern state. Police said that one person was shot dead in his sleep, while four armed individuals were killed in the subsequent exchange of fire. Militants entered the house of the person who lived alone in an isolated location about 5 km from the district headquarters and shot him dead while he slept.
On Sunday, the Manipur Police also confronted a group of Meira Paibis as they marched near the Raj Bhavan. As the protesters neared the Governor’s residence, police forces responded by firing tear gas shells and smoke bombs to disperse the crowd. All educational institutions will be closed for the next two days, September 9 and 10, due to the tension in the state. Both government and private institutions will also remain closed, according to government orders.
Meanwhile, amid the fresh bout of violence in Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday appealed to the Centre to take steps to protect the territorial integrity of the state, according to an official. Singh also urged the central government not to acquiesce to the demand for a separate administration raised by Kuki Zo groups, said the official on condition of anonymity. The Chief Minister made these appeals in a memorandum submitted to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya during a meeting with him, along with several MLAs and the assembly Speaker, at Raj Bhavan.
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