Due care taken not to harm rare Sangai, asserts GOC
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 17 2009: Asserting that Operation Summer Storm has been launched clinically so as to avoid collateral damages, GOC of 57 Mountain Division, Maj Gen Shakti Gurung today said that the troops are aware of the presence of the rare and endangered Sangai at Keibul Lamjao and due care has been taken to see that they are not harmed.

Addressing a media conference at the 1st MR premises today, the GOC said that the operation has been launched in such a way that there are no collateral damages and as such no soldier resorted to speculative firing, which means spraying a suspected area or spot with bullets.

A sentry keep a sharp vigil on the periphery of Keibul Lamjao while army men (file photo) take the boat during the Ops

Stating that due care has been taken not to harm the Sangai, the GOC maintained that militants were killed after they were pinned down. Once Loktak lake is sanitised and the operation is called off Forest officials will be able to venture into the park and discharge their duties without any interference from the militants, said Gurung.

The GOC further said that so far 12 PREPAK militants have been killed in the ongoing operation while five camps have been busted.

The operation was launched on the inputs gathered from electronic surveillance and human intelligence, said the GOC and added that six AK rifles, one lathode launcher, one 9 mm German Mauser, two 9 mm pistol, a large quantity of bullets, hand grenades explosives and war like stores have been recovered.

Fielding questions from the media, the GOC said that no helicopter gunship or rockets are used in the operation.

The combined force, consisting of the Army and police commandos, could not catch any militants alive as they were ones who always opened fire first, claimed the GOC.

To help the people who have had to flee their homesteads in the wake of the operation, the Army has opened relief camps and supplied relief material, said Gurung and stressed that the operation is not in any way related to the Lok Sabha election.

DGP Y Joykumar who was also present at the conference said that the main objective of the operation is to clear militants from the Loktak and its adjoining areas.