The Chief Minister’s office reiterated it had issued an alert as early as January regarding the movement of approximately 200 Kuki-Zo militants from Churachandpur towards Jiribam. This alert was directed to the security establishment, which was no longer under the Chief Minister’s control.
According to intelligence reports and a dispatch from Jiribam police, the CM’s office informed the state Director General of Police and the Advisor (Security) about the militant activity on two separate occasions.
At that time, the Chief Minister had been relieved of command over the Unified Command on the instructions of then Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Advisor Security Kuldeip Singh and state Director General of Police were both appointed by the Central government following the outbreak of clashes in the state on May 3.
On Sunday, the Manipur government requested the Police department to submit a report detailing how violence erupted in Jiribam district and the measures taken in response to prior instructions regarding security measures in the district.
The government has directed the report to be submitted by Tuesday and requested the Home Department to follow up on the matter, as stated in an official release.
The release noted that on January 15, reports were received of about 200 armed Kuki-Zo militants moving from Churachandpur and reaching Phaitol Village, and the Old and New Kaiphundai areas of Tamenglong district bordering Jiribam district. The Director General of Police was urged to take all necessary security measures to prevent any untoward incidents and to respond to the threats posed by the group.
On January 27, the Director General of Police was requested to take adequate measures in view of gunfire incidents reported in Jiribam on December 31, 2023, January 1, 2024, and January 21, 2024. Measures were also sought in light of reports about the movement of armed miscreants from Churachandpur towards the Vangai Range bordering Jiribam. There were also alerts about the possibility of miscreants cutting off supply lines to Imphal valley via Jiribam.
The DGP was urged to implement effective countermeasures, including dominating strategic locations using Central and State Forces.
The statement further mentioned that on January 21, Jiribam Police had alerted about gunfire in Durgapur (Lamtaikhunou) village and requested the provision of two CAPF convoys to enhance security in Jiribam and Borobekra Sub-divisions to maintain law and order.
Moreover, on January 31, the Police department was instructed to take all necessary steps concerning reports of a potential attempt to loot arms and ammunition from the 7th IRB located in Jiribam district.
The ‘confidential’ letter from the Chief Minister’s office suggested a failure on the part of the Advisor (Security) and the DGP to act on the provided intelligence. The response from the Union Home Ministry to this issue remains to be seen.
