Sep 04, 2024 01:37 AM IST
Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh on Tuesday visited the sites of the drone strikes along the Kangchup hill stretches, including Kadangband, Koutruk, and Senjam Chirang.
The Centre has formed a committee of top officers from the army, state police and paramilitary forces to examine the use of explosive-bearing drones by militants in Manipur, senior officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday, as chief minister N Biren Singh called the incidents “acts of terrorism”.
Meanwhile, Manipur director general of police (DGP) Rajiv Singh on Tuesday visited the sites of the drone strikes along the Kangchup hill stretches, including Kadangband, Koutruk, and Senjam Chirang.
The committee will comprise the army’s 57 Mountain divisions lieutenant general, the additional director general of Manipur Police, the major general of the Assam Rifles (South), and inspector generals from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF). The panel will also rope in technical experts to analyse how militants are modifying drones to plant explosives and drop them.
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Manipur has reported at least four such incidents since Sunday. The latest was reported on Tuesday morning, when a drone equipped with explosives was dropped on the terrace of a Manipur Rifles post near Singda dam. There were no casualties reported in the incident.
An officer aware of the developments in Manipur, said, “The committee was formed after a high-level meeting on Monday. The committee will hire technical experts to understand the mechanism and the working of these explosives fitted drones. They will collect evidence and examine the threat.”
The latest challenge has also prompted the Assam Rifles chief lieutenant general Vikas Lakhera to visit Manipur.
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Chief minister Singh condemned the use of drone bombs.
“Dropping bombs on civilian population and security forces by using drones is an act of terrorism and I condemn such cowardly acts in the strongest terms. Manipur state government takes such unprovoked assault with utmost seriousness and will take up necessary response to fight such forms of terrorism upon the indigenous population,” he said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“We denounce all forms of violence, and the people of Manipur shall unite together against hate, division and separatism.”
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Meanwhile, Manipur DGP Singh said the state government has sought experts from Delhi, including the National Security Guard (NSG), to combat weaponised drones.
“This is a new phenomenon. Violence has escalated. However, the police department is taking the matter seriously,” he said during his visit on Tuesday.
Senior government officials in Manipur said the home department has asked the police chief to expedite an April 3 order requiring anti-drone mechanisms at the Raj Bhavan, chief minister’s secretariat and assembly secretariat.
“The police chief was asked on April 3 to take necessary action on installing the anti-drone technology at the three places. It has still not been done. It should be done at the earliest because of the new threats that these drones pose,” said a senior government officer.
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