Army, Assam Rifles rescue 24,000 civilians; helicopters, special forces moved to India-Myanmar border
Rescued people from both Meitei and Kuki communities are staying together in the boarding facilities in company operating bases and military garrisons, say sources
The Army and Assam Rifles have been carrying out flag marches, area domination patrols to maintain law and order. (Express Photo) Around 24,000 civilians have been rescued from various districts of Manipur till Monday by Army and Assam Rifles personnel, who have been deployed there to aid the civil authorities in controlling the law and order situation in the violence-hit state.
As per security sources, nearly around 9,500 of those rescued are Meiteis and 10,000 from Kuki community. The rescued people — from both communities — are staying together in the boarding facilities within company operating bases and military garrisons.
Nearly 125 columns of Army and Assam Rifles have been sent to Manipur since the violence erupted last week in what marks one of the biggest deployments of security forces in a single state outside of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said the majority of residents have been evacuated from Churachandpur and Imphal, the worst-affected areas in the violence.
On Monday, the troops continued to escort the people between Moreh and Imphal. “This has contributed to the cooling down of tempers. They are being escorted to a place of their choice, where they would be comfortable,” a source said.
The Army and Assam Rifles have been carrying out flag marches, area domination patrols to maintain law and order.
Sources told The Indian Express that additional special forces have been deployed at the sensitive India-Myanmar border to tackle any contingency that may arise at this point.
Earlier, helpline numbers had been started to enable veterans, serving soldiers and civilians to seek assistance.
On Sunday, the Nagaland government and the Assam Rifles escorted 676 people from Manipur to Nagaland, a majority of whom were students. Another batch of civilians was being escorted to Nagaland on Monday. The Nagaland government had provided the buses for the purpose.
Several other state governments have also been evacuating their citizens from the violence-hit areas in Manipur.
In a statement on Monday, a defence spokesperson said in the past 96 hours, employment of aviation assets has been intensified to significantly enhance the surveillance facility in Manipur. This includes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and helicopters, which have already been brought to the state for surveillance in the hinterland and along the India-Myanmar Border.
“Employment of these assets are giving a major fillip to the effectiveness of Army and Assam Rifles, success of which is evident on the ground in Manipur not only in hinterland but also for domination of Indo-Myanmar border to prevent any misadventure attempt by Manipur valley-based insurgent groups staying across in various camps,” the statement added.
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