Manipur Police seek NSG’s support over drone attacks on civilians

Director General of Police, Manipur, Rajiv Singh said that the state police are in touch with the Director General National Security Guard (NSG) and other experts to seek their support about the recent attacks on civilians by the militants using drones and sophisticated weapons.

Two persons - including a woman (31) - were killed and 12 others injured in the attacks by suspected Kuki militants using drones and sophisticated weapons at Sejam Chirang and nearby Koutruk villages in Imphal West and Imphal East districts on Sunday and Monday.

After visiting the villages, the Manipur Police chief said that the bombing using drones are new development in Manipur and Manipur Police has already through social media said that it has been escalated and the police are taking it very seriously.

 “I have personally spoken to everybody in Delhi. I have also spoken to DG NSG and his team. Other experts are coming in, and we have formed a high-level committee to look into the drone attack and related other issues.

We have taken the new development very seriously. We will find out a solution at the earliest. All forces are continuing the combing operations to nab the militants,” the DGP told the media.

To a demand to withdraw the central forces from the state, he said that besides the Assam Rifles and Army, a large number of central forces are working in Manipur to restore peace and normalcy.

“The Director General of Assam Rifles has come to Manipur on Tuesday and he is also trying his level best. All forces in coordination have been working together along with the state forces.

The Chief Minister Biren Singh also talked to many important persons in Delhi. We would not spare any stone unturned, Singh said adding that the state forces alone cannot deal with the situation due to manpower issues and support of central forces are urgently required.

The DGP said that the Central government has been providing all kinds of support and they are equally worried over the situation.

Meanwhile, the DGP has constituted a high-level 5-member multi-agency committee to examine the use of high-tech drones to attack the peripheral areas by Kuki militants.

The high-level committee will be chaired by Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Ashutosh Kumar Sinha and senior officials from the Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, and BSF are also the members of the committee.

Amidst the escalated militant attacks, influential BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw 60,000 central forces from the state claiming "they are not yielding peace”.

Singh, who's the son-in-law of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, wrote to the Home Minister stating that the presence of around 60,000 central forces in Manipur “is not yielding peace, thus it’s better to remove such forces who are mostly present as mute spectators”.