Manipur: Central forces face a continuous menace—armed men in police uniforms

Forces including Assam Rifles, Army, and CAPFs are deployed in the buffer zones lying between Meitei-dominated areas and Kuki-Zo-dominated hill districts.

In strife-torn Manipur, armed men in police uniforms are proving to be a menace for the Central security forces. There have been several instances of uniformed men firing at security personnel with automatic weapons, reported The Hindu.

On September 8, Monoloi—a Kuki-Zo village—was attacked near Pallel town by armed men in uniform. They were seen taking with supplies from homes and shops before burning down the structures.

As per sources cited by the publication, the attack at Pallel was well-planned in advance as the locality has a mixed population of Meitei, Kuki-Zo, and Naga communities. The place has so far remained devoid of any untoward incident ever since the deadly violence began in Manipur on May 3.

A government official said that a huge number of weapons were looted from the police armouries which are yet to be recovered. More than 4,000 weapons have reportedly been looted since violence began in Manipur.

“Some of these police weapons are being sold in the black market. There have been reports of Meitei selling the weapons to the Kuki-Zo people. There are apprehensions that the weapons could pave the way for Left Wing Extremism [LWE] in affected areas,” said the official.

Security forces including Assam Rifles, Army, and CAPFs have been deployed in the buffer zones lying between Meitei-dominated areas and Kuki-Zo-dominated hill districts.

As per defence sources cited by the publication, the Central forces have been requisitioned by the Assam government. They are manning the buffer zones in the state to control violence between Meiteis and Kukis.

Assam Rifles and other Central forces are non-partisan and act per the directions of the State government, the source added.