Manipur violence: The Centre has rushed 20 additional companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), comprising around 2,000 personnel, to Manipur following recent attacks and escalating law and order concerns in the state, according to official sources. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued orders on Tuesday night for the immediate airlifting and deployment of these units.
Sources said out of the 20 fresh CAPF companies ordered to be rushed to Manipur 15 are from the CRPF and five from the Border Security Force (BSF). These units will add to the 198 companies of the CAPFs that are already stationed in the state following the ethnic violence that began in the state in May last year leading to the killing of 200 people.
According to the sources, all these CAPF units will be at the disposal of the Manipur government till November 30 as ordered by the MHA but the deployment is expected to be extended.
11 Kuki insurgents killed
At least eleven suspected insurgents were killed after a gunfight broke out with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Manipur's Jiribam district on Monday (November 11). According to the information released, the incident occurred in Manipur's Jakurador Karong area after insurgents in camouflage uniforms, armed with sophisticated weapons, fired indiscriminately at the Borobekra police station and the adjacent CRPF camp at Jakuradhor in Jiribam district.
A huge cache of sophisticated weapons were also seized by the force following the fierce gunbattle.
Tension has been high in Manipur since last week due to a fresh round of violence in Jiribam. Following the Monday incident, fresh violence was reported from multiple places in Imphal Valley where armed groups from the two warring sides engaged in exchange of fire, the state police had said.
Manipur violence
The conflict between the Hindu Meitei and Christian Kuki communities revolves around competition for land and jobs. Since May last year, more than 200 people have been killed, with thousands displaced due to the ethnic violence. The state's security forces, composed of diverse communities, continue to grapple with maintaining peace in the region.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.
(With PTI inputs)
