Manipur will remain vulnerable as long as weapons looted from the security forces or smuggled from across the border are available to civilians, Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita, head of the army’s Eastern Command, said on Wednesday.
He was interacting with reporters at the Eastern Command headquarters in Fort William.
“Recovering weapons that are available to the people, in both communities, Kukis and Meiteis, remains a challenge in Manipur,” said Lt Gen Kalita, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Command.
“This is an issue because till the time the weapons are available in the society, violence can escalate at any point of time.”
Lt Gen Kalita said these weapons were either stolen from police armouries or smuggled from Myanmar, which shares its border with Manipur.
Senior officers in the Eastern Command said that since May 4, when violence between Kukis and Meiteis had erupted in the northeastern state, the army has conducted numerous coordinated operations, leading to the recovery of weapons and ammunition. But some, the officers said, still remain with militant elements in “both communities”.
“What complicates the situation in Manipur is that efforts by both groups to assume the role of protecting their respective communities while seeking relevance back in the society,” Lt Gen Kalita said.
“The solution lies in recovering the weapons. We need to ensure that the society remains free of weapons.”
The ongoing conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities has left at least 194 dead and over 67,000 displaced. It has also split the state into two — the hill districts, which are dominated by the Kuki-Zo community, are out of bounds by road for the Meiteis and the valley areas, where the majority of the residents are Meiteis, are inaccessible for the Kuki-Zo people.
The head of the Eastern Command said that apart from the availability of weapons, the challenge lay in “continuous influx” from across the Myanmar border because of the conflict between the army in that country and the forces opposed to it.
“The conflict in Myanmar has spread to areas closer to the India-Myanmar border. Whenever there is a clash between the Myanmar army and the opposing forces, there is a displacement of the civilian population along the border,” Lt Gen Kalita said.
“This continuous movement across the border causes some anxiety in terms of contraband and weapons smuggling. The challenge is accentuated by the difficult terrain including thick jungles.”
Senior army officers who have been in Manipur since early May with their counterparts in Assam Rifles said that in the early days of the 2021 coup in Myanmar, most of the influx to India was through Mizoram. A small number made its way through southern Manipur.