On Monday, the Centre said that 50 more companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) would be sent to Manipur following a fresh wave of ethnic violence. This entails manpower of more than 5000, including 35 units of CRPF and 15 units of BSF, to curb rising lawlessness in this northeastern state.
This is the second time that central forces have been sent to Manipur after the fresh violence erupted in the Jiribam district and expanded to other areas. Even on the 12th of November, the MHA dispatched 20 units of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), including 15 CRPF and 5 BSF. With this new deployment, the total number of CAPF companies deployed in Manipur has reached 218.
The deployment strategy for these extra contingents will, therefore, be informed by incidences of violence and the emerging security blueprint. It follows recent instability, such as the charred bodies of six Meiteis — three women and three children belonging to a family — who were allegedly kidnapped by Kuki rebels. This came on the heels of 11 supposed Kuki rebels’ death in a shoot-out with the CRPF. Still, according to Kuki-Zo organizations, such deaths are false since the dead persons were volunteers from affected villages.
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah was actively involved in the case, having a working session in Delhi on Monday to estimate the security risks in the state. This was his second emergency meeting during the past 24 hours to attend to the Manipur issue after he had to call off the election rallies in Maharashtra.
Since June 2023, ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities have threatened Manipur and displaced thousands of people in the area.
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