The Manipur government has set up a five-member committee of senior security officials from the state police and central forces to “critically examine and study” the drones used in the unprecedented attack in Imphal West on Sunday.
The government also called in experts from outside on how to counter such drone attacks, which chief minister N. Boren Singh has described as an “act of terrorism”.
The Manipur DGP, Rajiv Singh, has issued an order setting up the high-level committee, headed by Ashutosh Kumar Sinha, Additional DGP (Intelligence). The other four members of the committee have been drafted from the Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF and BSF. They all are based in the state.
The committee has been asked to submit its report to the DGP by September 13 and can co-opt technical members as deemed fit, reflecting the seriousness and worry that has gripped the security establishment over the drone-based “airstrikes”.
On Monday evening, a similar bomb attack using drones at Senjam Chirang Maning Leikai in Imphal West District took place, leaving three civilians injured, the police said.
This is the first time that drones are being used in the conflict between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos that erupted on May 3, 2023, leaving at least 228 dead and over 60,000 displaced. The drone-bomb attacks have destroyed several houses, fuelling tension in areas which were targetted, reports said.
The police order said that in the “unprecedented” attack at Koutruk in Imphal West on September 1, “alleged Kuki militants had deployed numerous RPGs using high
tech drones” in which a woman and several others, including three policemen, were injured.
The order said the high-level committee has been constituted to “critically examine and study the drones deployed by these militants, including collection of relevant evidence, specifications of the drones used and how to effectively counter such drones....”
DGP Singh, who visited the affected areas on Tuesday, said besides constituting the committee they are “talking to everybody from here to Delhi”, including the NSG and other experts, to examine the drone issue and how to tackle the drone attacks which saw protests in the Imphal Valley on Monday night and Tuesday.
“We have some counter-measures which we were trying to deploy. Combing operations were on in the hills (from) where attacks took place. Everywhere combing operation will continue... The chief minister is also talking to several people on different fronts. The Centre is also providing all support and they are also worried (about these drone attacks). We are trying to gauge how to tackle this issue.... Whoever has done it will not be spared,” Singh said.
The police said on Monday night that there was a “mobilisation of armed miscreants in many places which had seen intense conflict in the past” on Sunday.
The police and other forces responded promptly and
jointly.
