New Delhi: The Centre is set to deploy an additional 10,000 soldiers to Manipur, bringing the total number of central force companies in the state to 288. This decision was confirmed by the state’s Chief Security Adviser, Kuldiep Singh, during a press briefing in Imphal today.
With the inclusion of 90 more companies, amounting to roughly 10,800 personnel, the total strength of central forces in Manipur will rise to 288. Singh stated that the ongoing violence in the region, which has claimed 258 lives since May 2023, is being addressed with a unified response from all security forces.
Forces unite to tackle situation
The coordinated efforts involve various forces, including the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Army, Assam Rifles, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal. “We are all working together to tackle the situation. Any problem that arises is handled collectively. Operations are actively underway,” Singh said, adding that a new standard operating procedure (SOP) will be established to secure the border areas and national highways.
Cycle of violence
The violence in Manipur intensified following the killing of a woman from the Hmar tribe, a mother of three, allegedly by suspected Meitei militants in Jiribam’s Zairawn village on November 7. This incident led to a retaliatory attack by Kuki militants on November 11, in which two dozen militants assaulted Borobekra in Jiribam. In the aftermath of an encounter with the CRPF that killed 10 militants, the remaining attackers took six members of a Meitei family hostage and fled. The bodies of the hostages, including an infant, were later found in a river.
