Weaponising drones
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 04, 2024 -

FOR the second time in a row, armed Kuki-Chin militants launched coordinated attacks with use of weaponised drones on Meetei settlements in the fringe areas on Monday (September 2).

In the second attack, which came within 24 hours of the first deadly one launched in Koutruk village where a young housewife lost her life and nine others including a policeman and a news reporter were left wounded, three civilians including a young woman and her younger brother suffered injuries in Senjam Chirang village, when Kuki-Chin militants carried out aerial bombing and indiscriminate firing from the hilltop of nearby Sinam Kuki village.

Even though casualties in the second attack have been lesser than in the first attack, which took everyone by surprise; a "significant escalation" in the aggression of armed Kuki-Chin militants on the indigenous Meetei people is something no one has failed to notice.

Even many of the national mainstream media outlets, which were more than eager to lap up every false narrative spun from the side of Kuki-Chin right from the very beginning, seem to have been given a big jolt by the deliberate and tactful misrepresentation of the facts surrounding escalation of the conflict with use of weaponised drones carried out by armed Kuki-Chin militants not only on the civilian populations but also at locations of security establishments, thus, marking the first instance of "hi-tech weapons" being employed in the 16-month long conflict in the tiny north-eastern Indian state.

During the course of conflict that has been going on between the Kuki-Chin and Meetei communities in Manipur since May 3 last year, drones may have been used by both the warring groups for the purpose of surveillance and tracking each other's movement.

But it is for the first time that Kuki-Chin militants have gone a step further in their aggression by utilising weaponised drones for dropping bombs on Meetei settlements and security posts.

Considering seriousness of the evolving situation, which, we have pointed out through this column earlier, is going to have far-reaching implications not only in the internal security and stability of not just Manipur but also of India, it is good to learn that the government of Manipur has promptly constituted a high-level committee to critically examine and study the drones deployed by the Kuki-Chin militants.

The task of the high-level committee to be headed by Additional DGP (Intelligence), Manipur Ashutosh Kumar Sinha as chairman and include Major General SS Kartikeya, who is the GOC 57 Mountain Division, Leimakhong; Major General Ravroop Singh, who is the IGAR (South), Mantripukhri; Vipul Kumar, who is the IG CRPF (Manipur & Nagaland Sector), Langjing; and JK Birdi, who is the DIG, SHQ BSF Counter Insurgency (Operations), Manipur as members would include among others collection of relevant evidences, finding out specifications of the drones used and coming up with suggestions on effectively countering such drone attacks.

In addition to its composition and the task laid out, we also appreciate the fact that the committee has been given the leeway to co-opt technical members as deemed fit.

As the Manipur Police had already noted that "involvement of highly trained professionals, possibly with technical expertise and support, cannot be ruled out" in the coordinated attacks carried out by Kuki-Chin militants with use of weaponised drones on Meetei settlements in the fringe areas, it is imperative for the committee to rope in the service of experts in drone technology to arrive at a definite conclusion before submitting its report to the office of Director General of Police (DGP), Manipur by September 13 so that there is no room for any doubt.

Manipur is currently in the midst of a 16-month long conflict, which is only escalating instead of showing any sign of ebbing.

So, more than its task of collecting evidences and examining them critically, the committee also has the onus of ensuring there is no more finger pointing at each other between the two warring communities or at the security forces, which is not helping in resolving the conflict in anyway.