NEW DELHI: With a CoBRA battalion on the ground, security forces are intensifying counter-insurgency operations against cadres of the NSCN-IM and other armed groups accused of their involvement in violence and extortion in Manipur, sources in the security establishment said.
Ground commanders have been briefed on a more proactive strategy against armed groups and their cadres, marking a shift from the largely deterrent approach adopted earlier, the sources said, adding that jawans of the Central Armed Police Force’s (CRPF) CoBRA battalion have also been deployed to bolster counter-insurgency operations amid growing security concerns.
They said the intensified deployment is aimed at disrupting insurgent networks, preventing attacks on civilians and security personnel and containing emerging law-and-order challenges.
A senior official in the security establishment said the agencies deployed in the state have received increased inputs regarding the alleged involvement of insurgent groups in attacks on civilians and police personnel.
Intelligence agencies, along with local intelligence networks, have further been tasked with generating actionable information to support targeted operations, the sources said.
The security environment is also undergoing a significant shift, they said, with tensions increasingly surfacing along the Kuki-Naga fault line following the prolonged Kuki-Meitei conflict.
According to the sources, cadres linked to several groups, including some operating under ceasefire arrangements, have allegedly been found involved in attacks and other activities contributing to law-and-order problems.
In a recent operation, Manipur Police arrested two alleged extortionists suspected of being NSCN-IM cadres at Sibilong along National Highway-37 under Kaimai Police Station in Tamenglong district.
The arrests came amid intensified search operations in fringe and vulnerable areas of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching districts.
Police had said security forces recovered six firearms, five rounds of ammunition and two explosives during operations in Imphal East and Bishnupur districts.
The new strategy follows a series of arrests and recoveries linked to suspected insurgent activity. Police records also cite an August 28, 2023 operation in which an active cadre of the Revolutionary People’s Front/People’s Liberation Army (RPF/PLA), an active NSCN-IM cadre and two alleged over-ground workers associated with KCP (Lamyanba Khuman) were arrested.
The sources said the stepped-up operations are intended to prevent insurgent groups from exploiting the changing security environment and to maintain stability in areas witnessing renewed tensions.