India to send thousands of troops to region hit by ethnic violence

New Delhi is deploying more than 5,000 additional troops to the northeastern state of Manipur, where hundreds have been killed as a result of ethnic violence.

Indian Home Minister Shri Amit Shah chaired a meeting on Monday to address recent clashes in the state, which has been beset by violence and displacement since May 2023.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and other top security and intelligence officials attended the meeting, which was convened in response to the deteriorating situation in Manipur, where incidents of mob violence were reported over the weekend.

Shah reviewed the security deployment in the region during the meeting, and directed the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state police officials to maintain peace and order in the region.

The federal government is reportedly dispatching an additional 50 companies to the state, comprising more than 5,000 personnel, from armed police and border security forces.

Approximately 2,000 CAPF troops were sent to Manipur in September following a wave of violence involving rocket strikes and drone bombings that resulted in numerous casualties.

On Saturday, angered by the killing of three women and three children in Jiribam district, protesters demanding justice attacked the residences of three state ministers and six local assembly members.

The mob stormed the residential compounds of the officials, vandalizing property and setting houses on fire, according to local media reports. The women and children belonging to the Meitei community were allegedly abducted by militants from the rival Kuki community following the deaths of ten suspected Kuki militants in a gunfight with security forces.

Violence between the two communities – the majority Meitei, who inhabit the interior plains, and the minority Kukis, who live in the surrounding hills – has escalated since May 2023. Since the onset of this conflict, approximately 200 people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

Last week, the central government in New Delhi reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas of Manipur, including the violence-stricken Jiribam district. The legislation gives army and paramilitary forces special powers to search, arrest, and open fire if deemed necessary for maintaining public order.

AFSPA, which has been enforced for decades in several states of India, including Kashmir, has long been a point of contention between regional governments and the central government. In Manipur, AFSPA has been in effect since 1980 but was withdrawn in certain areas considered “peaceful” in 2022 and 2023. On Sunday, the regional government requested that the federal authorities reconsider their decision to reimpose AFSPA.