A top official in the Assam Rifles claimed that Manipur is currently experiencing an unprecedented situation as a result of the ethnic violence because both populations are armed to the teeth, placing the state in a precarious position.
Lt. General PC Nair, the director general of the Assam Rifles, said that the state’s residents must come to understand that peace is the only option for moving forward.
They further said that our current predicament in Manipur is unparalleled. We have never experienced anything like this. When the Nagas and Kukis clashed in the early 1990s, something similar occurred, and in the late 1990s, there was also fighting among the Kuki clans. Currently, the largest problem is the abundance of guns in both groups. The thoughts of both communities are connected to this. These days, everyone is so corrupted against one another. This needs to be stopped, the DG added, adding that the public must come to see that peace is the only path forward.
Following an All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) demonstration on May 3, fighting broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur.
Since the state has been engulfed in violence for more than four months, the Central government has been forced to use paramilitary forces to regain control of the situation. Due to the violence, thousands of people have been displaced and hundreds have died.