Are drone and rocket attacks the new normal in Manipur?

In the afternoon of September 1, suspected tribal militants from adjacent hills opened fire at Koutruk village in Imphal Valley using sniper rifles and other weapons, shattering months of relative peace in Manipur.The Meitei village in Imphal West district borders the Kuki-Zomi dominated Kangpokpi district. It is one of the worst-affected areas of the violence-hit northeastern state.Amid the incessant gunfire, the militants also deployed drones to drop bombs on the village, which security forces described as “unprecedented” in the 16-month ethnic conflict.Two persons were killed and nine others, including a 12-year-old, were wounded in these attacks.The next day, on September 2, a similar drone attack left three people injured in Senjam Chirang Maning Leikai, another village in Imphal West district. #WATCH | Manipur: Aftermath of the drone bombing that occurred at Koutruk Village in Imphal West recently. Latest visuals show the extent of damage as charred vehicles, destroyed houses and personal belongings seen. pic.twitter.com/3luep264Nq

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2024 “Alleged Kuki militants have deployed numerous RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) using high-tech drones,” the Manipur Police said in an official statement.The deployment of drones to attack “security forces and civilians marks a significant escalation. The involvement of highly trained professionals, possibly with technical expertise and support, cannot be ruled out”, the police claimed.This was followed by a rocket attack in Bishnupur district on September 6, in which a priest was killed. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r What does this indicate?The use of weaponised drones, RPGs and long-range crude rockets by militants has added a new dimension to the Manipur conflict, which had until recently witnessed the use of firearms only — both countrymade and sophisticated ones, a large number of which were looted from police armouries.Speaking to TOI+, Colonel (retd) Shanti Kumar Sepam, who has served in the northeastern region, says, “Drones are a costly affair. They will cost lakhs of rupees depending on the size. However, the question here is — who’s funding these militants?”His observation assumes significance given the Manipur Police’s claim that Kuki militant groups, including those that signed a “suspension of operations” (SoO) or ceasefire pact with the Centre in 2008, are involved in the current phase of violence. Search operations and area domination were conducted by security forces in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts. During the search operations the following items were recovered:

ii.01 (one) drone from Kharam vaiphei, Kangpokpi District. pic.twitter.com/5M9xqlkkdc

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) September 2, 2024 Cops have identified six bodies recovered after a gunbattle between warring groups in Jiribam district recently.The slain include three tribal militants — Seiminlen Khongsai, Haogoulen Doungel and Nehboithang Haokip — all members of Kuki Liberation Army (KLA), a rebel group that is part of the Kuki National Organisation, which had signed the SoO agreement.No wonder several Valley-based civil society groups have long demanded that the Centre revoke the ceasefire pact and allow the security forces to launch an all-out operation against these militant groups.Even chief minister N Biren Singh reportedly made a similar request during his recent meeting with Manipur governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, citing the latest escalation in violence.Is there a Myanmar connection?Manipur shares a 1,600km largely porous border with Myanmar, which has been witnessing a civil war since February 2021. Security experts like Sepam claim that drones and RPGs have been widely used by various resistance groups, known as People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), against the Myanmar military.The Myanmar military has lost swathes of territory near the border with China in northern Shan state to an alliance of armed ethnic minority groups and PDFs battling to overturn its 2021 coup.Although the Centre has sealed the Myanmar border, the possibility of Manipur’s tribal militants getting “assistance” from the neighbouring country can’t be ruled out yet.Rajeev Bhattacharyya, a Guwahati-based independent journalist and author, who has covered the Myanmar conflict, says, “It seems that the technology of drones has been imported from Myanmar. From my assignments to the neighbouring country over the past two years, I have noticed that drones have been utilised with success by several resistance groups against the military. And there are rebel outfits in Manipur from the valley and hills that are also engaged in the war in Myanmar.”Citing an official of a security agency, Bhattacharyya says drones being used by militants are assembled in Manipur from parts sourced from different regions.In June, the Assam Police arrested a Kuki man from Manipur on the outskirts of Guwahati and seized drone-making equipment from the vehicle he was travelling in. medium113289252What are security forces doing?The paramilitary Assam Rifles has deployed anti-drone systems in the fringe areas of Imphal Valley even as the state police have constituted a high-level committee to “critically examine and study” the weaponised drones allegedly used by Kuki militants.The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has also tested an anti-drone system and “given it to the force deployed in the state”. Additionally, the Manipur Police have initiated the process of procurement of anti-drone guns, The Economic Times reports.However, Sepam flags a hurdle. The Imphal Valley being surrounded by hills on all sides could pose a significant challenge in deploying anti-drone systems.“Even if the security forces deploy anti-drone systems, they may not be able to effectively counter such aerial threats, which may come from any direction,” argues the retired Army officer, who had led country-insurgency operations in Manipur and Nagaland in the past.“The militants involved in these attacks are under SoO, which actually prevents the security forces from venturing into their territory. The central government should have a proper policy to deal with it and it must take strong action [against the militants],” Sepam adds.And a controversyThe Manipur Police have dismissed the claims of Lt Gen PC Nair, a retired chief of Assam Rifles, that no drones or rockets were used in the latest phase of violence.The Assam Rifles is the country’s oldest paramilitary force and is tasked with guarding the Indo-Myanmar border. It is also the primary counter-insurgency force in the Northeast.In a media interview, Nair had also labelled the Manipur Police as a ‘Meitei Police’, indicating their alleged partisan role in the ethnic strife.“The statement is an immature one and seems to be his personal view and not of the force [Assam Rifles]. We strongly dismiss it,” K Jayanta Singh, Inspector General of Police (administration), told reporters on September 10.“There is evidence of drone and hi-tech missile attacks. Drones have been recovered. Tails of sophisticated rockets fired on civilian areas have been recovered. Despite such evidence, it is very unfortunate that a distinguished commander would make such statements,” he added.Singh, however, did not elaborate from where these rockets and drones were procured by the militants. medium nocaptionhttps://youtu.be/GOoWcV-xbII?si=hhKWoeug9c59OR05IGP (operations) IK Muivah said: “We want to dismiss that [Nair’s statement]. Manipur Police are composed of different communities including Nagas, Meiteis, Manipuri Muslims and non-Manipuris. There are Christians, Muslims and Hindus in this force.”The statement that the Manipur Police are a ‘Meitei Police’ shows a “myopic kind of mindset”, added Muivah, who hails from the Tangkhul Naga community.On the drone attacks, he said, “We have clarified in official media handles in connection with the drone bombings, and we stand by it.”Meanwhile, the strife-torn state returned to shutdown mode on September 10 after the government declared an indefinite total curfew in three districts, blocked broadband and mobile internet in five districts, and bolstered its 26,000-strong contingent of central armed police forces with two additional CRPF battalions.In mid-2023, Manipur was largely under curfew for extended periods as mobs ran riot and militant outfits joined in the ethnic violence.More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the clashes between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi tribals in the hills since May 2023.With inputs from agencies.