In Manipur, Army and paramilitary forces face a constant challenge — armed men in police uniforms 

Armed men in police uniforms are a constant challenge for the Central security forces in violence-hit Manipur, a defence source said.

Armed men in police uniforms are a constant challenge for the Central security forces in violence-hit Manipur, a defence source said on September 10. There have been several instances of uniformed men carrying automatic weapons, firing at Central security forces deployed in buffer zones, preceded by blockade and protest by women-led groups.

Meanwhile, around 4,500 additional Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel will be sent to the State after the conclusion of the G-20 summit in Delhi, a senior government official said, adding that a request has been made to the State government to provide accommodation to the Central forces since schools and colleges have reopened. Other than the CAPF, around 36,000 Central forces including the Army, are deployed in the State.

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On September 8, when a Kuki-Zo village — Monloi — was attacked near Pallel town, armed men in police uniforms who had forced their way through the nearby fields were seen decamping with goods from shops and homes before the structures were burnt down. The Hindu has photographs of the incident. The source said the attack at Pallel was well-planned as the area has a mixed population of Kuki-Zo, Meitei, and Naga communities and had so far remained devoid of any incident since ethnic violence erupted in the State on May 3.

The source said that Central security forces deployed in the buffer zone were able to thwart the attack, though arson took place and several houses in the village, and those in Pallel market were destroyed.

In another video clip that surfaced on September 8, some men in police uniforms are seen having an argument with Assam Rifles personnel in Pallel area over passage of an ambulance. The source said while State police were allowed to pass the cordon after verification of credentials, the other uniformed men were stopped. On June 26, the Army posted a 2.14-minute video on X (formerly Twitter) which showed ambulances being used to ferry armed miscreants.

Another government official said that a large number of weapons that were looted from police armouries are yet to be recovered. More than 4,000 weapons are said to have been looted since May 3. “Some of these police weapons are being sold in the black market. There have been reports of Meitei selling the weapons to Kuki-Zo people. There are apprehensions that the weapons could pave the way for Left Wing Extremism [LWE] in affected areas,” said the official.