On the orders of the Union home ministry, five companies of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Rapid Action Force (RAF) were airlifted to violence-torn Manipur on Thursday.
The five RAF companies have around 500 troops who are professionals in riot control. The RAF is a specialty branch of the CRPF that handles riots and crowd control. According to sources close to the situation, at least ten more companies and approximately 1,000 CRPF personnel will be moved to Manipur very soon.
Currently, a total of 15 CRPF companies are stationed in Manipur. As Indian Army, Assam Rifles and CRPF personnel are already deployed in the violence-affected areas of Manipur, the MHA asked the CRPF to send RAF companies to the hilly State to maintain law and order.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and taken stock of the situation in the state where law and order were disrupted after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts there, sources said.
“To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the state government has suspended mobile internet for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state,” the sources said.
In view of the situation, a curfew has been imposed in non-tribal-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts.
As far as the current situation is concerned, two issues in the state have led to the situation. First, CM Biren Singh’s move to protect the forest faces resistance from illegal immigrants and drug cartels, and the second is linked to the Manipur High Court’s recent direction to the State Government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in ST which has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are ST, added the sources.
Violence broke out during the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Thousands of tribals who make up about 40 per cent of the state’s population joined the processions, waved placards and raised slogans opposing ST status for the Meitei.
