Nothing more than an open and shut case : One step up from the probe
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 04, 2024 -

How to effectively counter such weaponised drones is one of the stated objectives of the five member high level committee set up under the seal and order of DGP Rajiv Singh and while such a measure is welcome and expected of a Government, the answer does not involve any rocket science technology.

It should be as simple as abrogating the Suspension of Operation pact and tell the Central security forces, particularly the Assam Rifles, to start dispensing with its duty.

Just don’t give the armed Kuki elements the room to do as they please, in short curtail their activities and automatically any exercise involving activities such as letting loose weaponised drones on selected targets can be curbed effectively.

Nothing difficult about it, but the important question is whether Delhi has the political honesty and sincerity to deal with the issue here or not.

Understandably the five member high level committee does not include any native of Manipur and include the Additional DG of Manipur police Ashutosh Kumar Sinha as the Chairman, GOC of the Leimakhong based 57 Mountain Division Major General SS Kartikeya, IG of Assam Rifles (South) Major General Ravroop Singh, IG of CRPF Vipul Kumar and DIG of BSF JK Birdi.

Other than the measures to be taken up to counter such drones, the job of the committee is to critically examine and study the drones deployed by the militants including collection of all relevant evidences and specifications of the drones used.

The Committee is to submit its report to the DGP by September 13 and while it is still not yet clear whether the report or findings will ever be made known to the public, one hopes the inquiry is taken to its logical conclusion.

The study of the Committee should also start from the premise that the use and activation of weaponised drones could only have been done by trained men and women and could not have been done by so called village volunteers.

The Committee should also take cognizance of the totally false narratives that have been peddled and which have been lapped up by some section of the media based in other parts of the country.

In short it should seek to rubbish the rubbishes that have been published as news stories.

The State Government too should see that the findings of the Committee are taken to its next logical step and that is to pile the pressure on the Central Government to abrogate the SoO pact for everything points to the involvement of well trained militants and this is not only about the use of drones to drop bombs but should rest on the premise of certain facts, such as the guns and high tech weapons used in the offensives against Manipur.

This premise should rest on the question of where the guns used by the Kuki armed persons have come from.

May sound far fetched, but the Congress did have a point in asserting that even the Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister’s bungalow are no longer safe as the Kuki militants have laid their hands on and mastered the art of activating bomb fitted drones and the real intent of bringing in the official residences of the Governor and the Chief Minister into the picture should be understood.

The Co-ordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) have already asserted their stand in the face of the use of weaponised drones and the writings on the wall should be clear to Delhi and Imphal.

For two consecutive days, that is on September 1 and September 2, the Kuki militants ran riot with their weaponised drones and till today not a word has been heard from the office of the Union Home Ministry.

So far not a word has been heard of any action being initiated against the militants who are behind the drone attacks.

Isn’t the Assam Rifles under the Centre and this line should be understood against the one line instruction ‘You take care of the valley, I will be in charge of the hills’ of the Union Home Minister to the Chief Minister some time last year.

Something has to give. If the Central security forces are not doing their job, withdraw them.

No point in over crowding Manipur with uniformed, booted and armed personnel who appear reluctant to deal with the situation.

Or if the SoO pact does not allow the Central security forces to go on the offensive then the least they can do is stop the Kuki militants from launching aggressive attacks such as using weaponised drones.

September 3, 2024 marks the start of the 16th month of conflict and the manner in which Delhi has been sleeping over the matter is astounding and unacceptable.