Days after claiming that 900 Kuki militants were planning to attack peripheral villages of Imphal valley districts around September 28, the Manipur government retracted its statement, asserting that the likelihood of “any such misadventures by armed groups is minimal and unsubstantiated”.
In a joint statement, Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh and DGP Rajiv Singh on Wednesday said: “In view of recent reactions from different communities regarding the input on the infiltration of 900 trained Kuki militants from Myanmar to carry out attacks on Meiteis on September 28, it is clarified that the input was verified from various sources but could not be substantiated on the ground. There is no current basis to believe in any such input.”
The statement assured that “security forces are on high alert to protect the lives and property of citizens. All communities are assured of their safety”, and advised the public to “not believe in any rumours or unverified news”.
On September 20, the security advisor had said forces have taken a number of steps in the wake of reports that militants might carry out violence in peripheral villages. He had said reports of movement of these militants have been circulating for the past three to four days.
The Manipur government seemed to be on the back foot after CNN-News18 reported a day earlier that the Intel alert was unverified and baseless.
The state alert had mentioned that over 900 Kuki militants, newly trained in the use of drone-based bombs, projectiles, missiles, and jungle warfare, have entered Manipur from Myanmar. It had stated that these militants are reportedly grouped in units of 30 members each, scattered across the periphery, and are expected to launch multiple coordinated attacks on Meitei villages around September 28.
On Thursday, top Intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that CRPF had reached deep inside Kuki areas — Kangpokpi, Motbung, Dolaithabi, Geljang — after replacing 22 Assam Rifles.
According to the sources in CRPF, their focus will be the camps of the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) and Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) situated at T Gamnon. Earlier, top CRPF officials reached Imphal to coordinate the force’s movement inside the sensitive areas.
Also, the Centre is upset with the state government for issuing an Intelligence alert without verifying and creating an atmosphere of panic.
The sources in Intelligence and Indian Army said no infiltration had happened and “nothing is available as per our knowledge”.
They added that the Centre wants peace in any case and the idea is to settle the dispute between both the communities, noting that the timing of the input is being seen as an attempt to derail the peace process as Home Minister Amit Shah has announced the beginning of the outreach and started the fencing of the India-Myanmar border.
Since May 2023, Manipur has been embroiled in violence between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities, driven by disputes over economic benefits and quotas. Manipur remains divided into two ethnic enclaves – a Meitei-controlled valley and Kuki-dominated hills – separated by a no-man’s land monitored by federal paramilitary forces. Despite efforts to quell the unrest, sporadic clashes persist, with the latest violence resulting in 11 deaths earlier this month. Since May of last year, the conflict has resulted in at least 237 deaths and displaced over 60,000 people in Manipur, which is home to 3.2 million people.
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