The Centre has decided to send an additional 50 CAPF companies comprising more than 5,000 personnel to Manipur in view of the "challenging" security and law and order situation in the northeastern state, official sources said on Monday.
This comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) rushed 20 additional CAPF companies, 15 from the CRPF and five from the BSF, to the state following an order issued on November 12 after violence broke out in Jiribam district and spread to other places.
An additional 50 companies have been ordered to be rushed to Manipur by this week.
While 35 units will be drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the rest will be from the Border Security Force (BSF), the sources told PTI.
CRPF Director General (CRPF) A D Singh and senior officers from other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are also present in the state.
The central government had reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas of Manipur, including the violence-affected Jiribam, on Thursday.
With last week's deployment, a total of 218 CAPF companies are now present in the state, which has been reeling from ethnic strife since May last year.
A deployment plan is being drawn to base these new 50 units in Manipur as per the violence levels being reported and the dynamic law and order situation in consultation with the state government and the MHA, the sources said.
Given the prevailing volatile situation, the state government ordered the closure of all educational institutions on Monday and Tuesday in Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur districts where curfew has remained in force. Internet and mobile data services have also remained suspended in seven affected districts.
Last week six individuals—three women and three children—were abducted and murdered by suspected Kuki insurgents in Jiribam district. The victims’ bodies were discovered five days later in neighbouring Assam, sparking protests and clashes between demonstrators and state forces. One protester, a 21-year-old, was fatally shot during these confrontations. Protesters allege that the police commandos fired the fatal shot, but the details remain unclear.
Recently ten suspected Kuki militants were killed during a gunfight with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Kuki groups later surrounded a hospital where the bodies were stored, demanding they not be moved and claiming the deceased were "village volunteers."
Additionally, the homes of several lawmakers, including Manipur Health Minister Sapam Ranjan and a BJP MLA, were targeted by violent mobs. The state government has handed over three major cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), including the murder of a tribal woman, an attack on a CRPF post, and incidents of arson and killings in Jiribam.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reviewed the prevailing security situation and deployment of troops in the state for the second consecutive day and directed top officials to focus on restoring peace and order there as early as possible, sources said.
The home minister reviewed the security situation of Manipur with top officials of the central and state governments, the sources said.
He also took stock of the deployment of central forces there and directed the officials to restore peace and order there as early as possible, they said.
This was the second consecutive day that Shah reviewed the situation of Manipur.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has convened a meeting with all non-Congress MLAs on Monday at 6 pm to discuss the ongoing law and order situation in the state. According to a BJP MLA, all MLAs, except the five from Congress, have been invited. The 10 Kuki-Zo legislators, including seven BJP members who left the Imphal valley due to ethnic violence, are expected to skip the meeting. Additionally, the NPP has withdrawn its support to the BJP-led government, meaning its MLAs will not attend.
The state government has handed over three key cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). These include the killing of a tribal woman by armed militants on November 8, the attack on a CRPF post, and the arson and killings in Jiribam on November 11.
Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) expressed deep concern over the unresolved ethnic conflict, which has been ongoing for 19 months. The RSS condemned the killings of women and children and urged both the central and state governments to work towards resolving the conflict at the earliest.
The Congress has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the state before the Parliament session and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for the failure of the "double engine government" there. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Modi should first meet an all-party delegation from Manipur and then hold a national-level meeting. He also criticized the Prime Minister for not visiting the state despite the ongoing crisis since May 2023, demanding action before the Parliament session begins on November 2.
(With inputs from PTI)
