Improvised rockets, mortars seized from CCpur
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 21 2024:
Joint security forces seized several arms and ammunition, explosive materials, rocket heads, improvised rocket shell and improvised mortar guns from different parts of the state.
In a joint operation jointly carried out by special operation group of Thoubal police and teams of 5/9 Gorkha Rifles in Ngamukhong area under Nongpok Sekmai police station on Saturday morning, two SMG carbines with magazines, one 12 bore SLBB with two live cartridges, one 9mm pistol with magazine & eight live rounds, one .32 pistol with magazine & one live round, five 36 HE hand grenades, four arming rings, two tube launchers, one detonator, two iron BP plates, one BP vest, one tear smoke grenade, two stun shells, one tear smoke shell, and one handheld radio set of Baofeng company were seized.
The recovered arms, and ammunition were later handed over to Nongpok Sekmai PS for initiating necessary legal actions.
On the other hand, joint security forces seized one improvised rocket shell, three live rocket head munition, three improvised mortars, three anti-riot stun shells, and one stun grenade from Samulamlan area in Churachandpur district on Friday.
The aerial assaults that occurred on September 1 and 2 in Koutruk and Senjam Chirang, when Kuki militants used advanced drones to bomb villages in the valley, followed by armed aggressions on foot.
The attackers, disguised in an ambulance, opened fire on civilians, resulting in the deaths of a young mother and a man, and injuring 10 others, including a minor girl, a policeman, and a journalist.
In the aftermath, the militants committed arson and plunder, forcing villagers to flee.
In the following days, over 50 bombs were dropped in Senjam Chirang, also in Imphal West, injuring civilians and domestic animals.
The ambulance used by the Kuki militants turned out to be registered in the name of Kuki Students' Organisation GHQ.
The violence continued to escalate on September 5, when rocket strikes targeted Tronglaobi and Moirang areas in Bishnupur district leaving one person dead and six others injured.
The rockets were fired from a distance of 7 kilometres from the nearby hills.
Former DG AR retired Lt Gen PC Nair rejected the use of drones for aerial bombing and rocket attack by Kuki militants in a flurry of coordinated interviews with several national media in a couple of days.
However, the Manipur Police criticised the former DGAR for bifurcating Manipur police and refuting use of drones and rockets in a press conference.
On Friday too, security advisor Kuldeip Singh, while confirming the intelligence report of 900 highly trained Kuki militants infiltrating Manipur from Myanmar, informed that anti-drone guns have already been deployed by the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, and CRPF in Manipur.
Efforts are also underway to implement anti-drone detection, and apprehension & spoofing systems in vulnerable areas.
He also informed that, security forces have successfully jammed 17 drones and spoofed one.
Meanwhile, technical guides for creating long-range drones, with ranges up to 7 to 10 km, are easily accessible online.
Since all the necessary components can be readily purchased, it would be relatively simple for militant groups to either assemble DIY drones or acquire them from the market.
The geographical layout of Imphal Valley, which is surrounded by Kuki-dominated districts such as Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, and Tengnoupal, heightens the concern.
Drones launched from the surrounding hills could easily reach various parts of the valley, leaving the central areas.
This reality has further intensified the sense of fear and anxiety among the people.
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