The declare by the Manipur authorities in September that greater than 900 suspected Kuki militants from Myanmar had infiltrated the state is wrong, Indian Military chief Normal Upendra Dwivedi mentioned on Tuesday.
Responding to questions on the Chanakya Defence Dialogue concerning the scenario in Manipur, Dwivedi mentioned that “we must always not permit flawed narratives to be constructed up”.
“There was…flawed narrative [that] 900 anti-national parts have infiltrated [Manipur],” he mentioned. “We checked up, there’s nothing like that. So if we management that, I feel issues shall be alright.”
On September 25, Manipur’s Safety Adviser Kuldiep Singh and Director Normal of Police Rajiv Singh additionally clarified that a current intelligence report from the chief minister’s workplace claiming that greater than 900 Kuki militants had entered the state from Myanmar couldn’t be verified.
The militants had been “anticipated to launch a number of coordinated assaults on Meitei villages round September 28”, the report had claimed. Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s workplace retracted the declare on September 16.
Dwivedi additionally mentioned that the “narrative of the bomb drones” was false. “There’s no bomb drone,” he mentioned.
On September 1, the Manipur Police mentioned that using “high-tech drones” by alleged Kuki militants to deploy explosives in opposition to safety forces and civilians marked a “important escalation” within the ethnic clashes within the state.
Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since Could 2023. At the least 237 individuals have died for the reason that starting of the clashes.
The Military chief mentioned that individuals crossing over to India from Myanmar “are coming unarmed” in search of shelter. “And India, the nation we’re, we’ll guarantee that they’re supplied shelter, meals and assist until the time we will,” he mentioned.
He mentioned that Myanmar, which is within the midst of a civil struggle, was coping with its personal issues and that folks there have been getting displaced.
“Once they’re getting displaced, the place will they go? They are going to solely go to locations that are peaceable and able to settle for them. That’s what is occurring in Mizoram and Manipur.”
‘Battle of narratives’
Dwivedi mentioned that the scenario in Manipur has change into a “battle of narratives”, with polarisation between communities. “The scenario could also be secure right this moment however it’s tense,” he mentioned.
“It began with a hearsay that there was an Anglo-Kuki Warfare Centenary Gate, which is being burnt,” the Military chief mentioned. “And it was not burnt. I’ve gone on floor and confirmed. That rumour-mongering led to main violence, which continues to be discovering its stabilisation part, which it has not reached.”
Scroll has reported that the primary spell of violence within the state started with a hearsay of an Anglo-Kuki struggle centenary gate being burnt down.
Dwivedi mentioned that the society had been “weaponised to some extent” due to the looting of weapons. “The ladies-led organisations have come up for the defensive functions, the underground organisations have come for the defensive functions,” he mentioned, with out naming any teams.
The armed forces have recovered 25% of the looted weapons and the variety of individuals displaced inside the state has decreased to 40,000 from 60,000, he mentioned.
Additionally learn: Why Manipur CM’s workplace warned of Kuki militant assault – after which retracted the declare