Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Wednesday that owing to the prevailing situation in neighbouring Myanmar, the state government has reinforced security measures, including getting additional personnel from the Assam Rifles, Manipur Police, Border Security Force (BSF), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), in the border areas of the state.
Earlier this month, the Myanmar Army reportedly engaged in a fierce clash with the pro-democratic Chinland Defense Force (CDF). The conflict reportedly erupted after the CDF took control of a Myanmar Army camp. As tensions flared, thousands of Myanmar nationals crossed over to Mizoram’s Champhai district.
While Mizoram shares a 510-kilometre-long border with Myanmar, Manipur also shares a 398-kilometre-long border with the neighbouring country.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Singh, while condemning the recent killing of two tribal persons, including an India Reserve Battalion (IRB) jawan in the Haroathel area in the state’s Kangpokpi district, said that the security forces have launched massive search and combing operations in the area to nab the perpetrators behind the attack.
Speaking about the current law and order situation in the state, Chief Minister Singh urged the people to face the challenges and hardships for a strong future and reassured them that there would be no compromise on his part in protecting and safeguarding the state.
The Manipur police on Wednesday rescued a person, Leichombam Imocha Singh (46), from Bishnupur’s Irengbam Mamang Makha Leikai area. The police said that Singh, a resident of the district’s Leimaram Mamang Leikai area, was abducted by unidentified armed miscreants. The rescued person was later handed over to his family at the Nambol police station.
Meanwhile, search operations were conducted by security forces in the fringe and vulnerable areas of Imphal West, Imphal East, Kakching, Bishnupur, and Churachandpur districts. During one of these operations carried out at Phaimol Hill near Thamnapokpi village in Imphal East district, the security forces destroyed a total of seven bunkers set up by miscreants to carry out attacks on the armed forces and civilians.
In another series of operations, the security forces recovered a Japan-made MK-S revolver and two 36 HE hand grenades from Moramba Chingol area in Kakching district, a carbine with a magazine, a 9mm pistol with a magazine, and an MI6 rifle's empty magazine from Keinou in Bishnupur district, two carbines with magazines from Heichanglok village in Churachandpur district, two 7.62 mm Self-Loading Rifles (SLR) with two magazines, a M1 assault rifle with magazine, a country-made pistol with magazine, a Single Barrel Muzzle Loader (SBML) gun, seven locally made mortars, 38 bullets of different weapons, 16 improvised bombs along with 4.175 kilograms of gunpowder and 42 electric detonators from the L Cananphai area in Churachandpur district.