Manipur unrest: At least 288 central forces deployed amid violence in state

Following renewed violence and the discovery of six bodies, including two children, the Central government has deployed 288 companies of Central forces to Manipur. The deployment comes amidst accusations of government failure to restore peace and political blame-trading between the BJP and Congress.

The Central government has deployed a total of 288 additional companies of Central forces in violence-hit Manipur. At a unified command conference of security forces in Imphal, Kuldiep Singh, the Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Security Advisor for Manipur, announced new Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) for troops operating in Manipur. Following further violence, the Centre sent 90 companies to Manipur last week, bringing the total number of central forces there to 288 companies.

In each district, a joint coordination committee was also announced. Given that 258 people have been slain since May of last year, Singh emphasized that protecting residents' lives and property should come first. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun looking into every case that has been turned over to them, and more than 3,000 stolen firearms have been found.

What's the situation in Manipur?

The remains of six people, including two children, who had been abducted by suspected Kuki terrorists from Manipur's Jiribam region were found, sparking the current unrest in the state. Following this, an armed group of Meiteis assaulted a community, burning a school and many homes after reportedly raping and murdering a lady.

After Kuki militants attacked a Meitei group in the same area, the situation worsened. On November 11, the CRPF shot down 10 suspected militants in Jiribam's Borobekra. Since May of last year, ethnic conflict between Meiteis from the Imphal Valley and Kuki-Zo communities from the nearby hills has killed over 250 people and left others homeless.

Politics over the situation

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her immediate intervention as the Centre and the state government had “completely failed" in restoring peace and stability in Manipur.  JP Nadda, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, responded by accusing the Congress of spreading a narrative that is "incorrect, false, and politically" driven regarding the disturbance in Manipur. He also criticized the consequences of the Congress' "abject failure" to address concerns in Manipur during its tenure in office.