The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

Manipur has been wracked with ethnic violence between Meitei groups and the Kuki-Hmar groups since May 3, 2023. According to available inputs, 260 people have been killed in the violence and some 60,000 people have been displaced. Earlier figures had also mentioned over 1,000 injured and 32 missing, A report by Reuters in the Economic Times dated December 20, 2024 says that Indian militant groups, trained and armed in Myanmar's civil war, are returning to Manipur, escalating the 19-month ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities. Increased violence, fuelled by sophisticated weaponry and illicit activities, has prompted a surge in troop deployments. Both sides are procuring arms from across the border, exacerbating the already volatile situation.

Manipur has been wracked with ethnic violence between Meitei groups and the Kuki-Hmar groups since May 3, 2023, resulting in 260 deaths, 60,000 displaced people and over 1,000 injured

This has led to an increase in violence between Manipur's dominant and mostly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki tribes - a conflict that critics say is the biggest law-and-order failure of the government. The Reuters report is based on interaction with politicians, military and police officers, plus: rebel sources in Myanmar”. The report says rival fighters are now equipped with rocket launchers, machine guns, sniper and assault rifles, including foreign-made M16s, M4A1s and AK-47s, according to seizure announcements by the military and the Manipur police. 20 people were killed in fighting in November alone, requiring the induction of additional 10,000 central forces, taking the total number of troops to nearly 67,000 in addition to the 30,000-strong police force. The escalation in violence has been accompanied by an increase in crime - mainly extortion and illegal drugs trade. to fund the weapons and operations of the rival factions.

Acting on specific intelligence, troops of #IndianArmy and #AssamRifles formations under #SpearCorps carried out joint search operations in the hill and valley regions in the districts of Churachandpur, Chandel, Imphal East and Kagpokpi in #Manipur, in close coordination with… pic.twitter.com/kxy7ec5YAE

— SpearCorps.IndianArmy (@Spearcorps) December 16, 2024

The report says that the Meitei groups have been fighting on the side of the ruling junta in Myanmar's civil war and an estimated 2,000 of their cadres had been camping in Myanmar's Sagaing region, just across the border from Manipur, as of December 2024. Rival militant groups have been coming into Manipur and some are still in Myanmar. While police armouries have been looted, arms are also being brought in from across the border from Myanmar. Meitei groups, who are fighting the Kuki groups in Manipur, are supported by the state government.

Other than the above report, disinformation campaign has also been raging in Manipur, including against the Army and the Assam Rifles. The recent spurt in violence came after three Hmar youth were gunned down in the area of Jiribam in what the CRFP termed “encounter”. The Centre has said that law and order is under the state administration.

A report by Reuters highlights the involvement of Indian militant groups trained and armed in Myanmar's civil war, returning to Manipur and escalating the 19-month ethnic conflict with sophisticated weaponry

A few weeks back news reports in the mainstream media said that Kuki groups are not only using rocket launchers but are attacking the Meitei with armed drones dropping grenades and bombs. This indicated another level of escalation in the ethnic violence. These media reports were purportedly based on inputs from the state administration. The then DG Assam Rifles just before he retired had denied the use of armed drones by the Kuki groups. The matter was eventually put to rest when the Army Chief publicly said that this was false information – no drones were being used for dropping of grenades or bombs in Manipur.

Serious concern arose in Manipur recently when the Army seized some internet devices along with arms and ammunition during a raid at Kerao Khunou in Imphal East District. One of the devices had a 'Starlink logo' and also looked exactly like a Starlink device; 'an internet satellite antenna, an internet satellite router and about 20 meters long FTP cable'. The Army’s Spear Corps posted the pictures on X:

The above news was followed by another post on X, showing a video and saying US Army veteran Daniel Stephen Courtney seen freely roaming inside India and distributing drones, bulletproof vests, explosives, weapon and military gear (which is in use with 'Special Forces') to Kukis in Indian state of Manipur. This tweet was picked up by Indian media who elaborated on this, also quoting Daniel Stephen Courney’s YouTube channel named “Fool for Christ” uploaded in March 2024; pointing to the activities of this American evangelist’s controversial activities and stoking communal tensions in India. It was completely missed out that the video in question is of Myanmar (not Manipur) where former US Marines are helping anti-government forces fight the military junta.

The conflict has seen both sides procuring arms from across the border, including foreign-made M16s, M4A1s, and AK-47s, with rival fighters reportedly using rocket launchers and machine guns

While police forces are looking into how the internet equipment in question was found in Manipur, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has rejected all claims that the Starlink device is being used in Manipur; saying that Starlink satellite beams have been turned off over India.

Finally, heavy firing was reported in hill areas of East Imphal and Kangpkpii districts of Manipur on Christmas, details of which are awaited. Now that Manipur has a fulltime Governor posted, the need is to quell the violence and restore peace earliest, given the explosive situation in Myanmar and Bangladesh. It also needs to be understood that the fence being erected along the entire border with Myanmar will serve little purpose unless it is manned by adequate forces, not just sensors. The policy planners could learn something by interacting with those who have operated and “walked” along the India-Myanmar border and know the terrain.