‘Selectively leaked videos (in Manipur)… manipulated by individuals for personal gain’: Assam Rifles D-G

What is the biggest challenge the Assam Rifles currently faces in its efforts to maintain peace in the state?

A major cause of concern is the large number of weapons in circulation. The number of weapons that went missing from various police stations are close to 5,000, of which about 1,600 weapons are back today — a positive development, though it will take time before we get all the missing weapons back. The second (challenge) is the mindset of the people. It is deeply corrupt and caustic (against each other). I think it will take some time for it to revert to what it was earlier. During such periods, selectively-leaked videos or motivated narratives tend to go viral, with individuals manipulating them for personal gain. These represent vested interests from which people must be safeguarded.

In light of Assam Rifles highlighting incidents involving civilian vehicles disguised as military trucks and individuals dressed similarly to AR personnel do you think the current ethnic strife has helped insurgent groups come back?

The possibility is there. If these weapons do not come back, they are weapons in the wrong hands. Many of them could have gone to insurgents. Since the ethnic clashes began, we’ve increased patrolling and surveillance along the Indo-Myanmar border. However, the border remains porous, and people still move across; we can’t cover every inch. There is also the possibility of additional weapons being pumped into Manipur by people with vested interests. But the important thing here is that any insurgency needs public support. That may not happen because Manipur in recent years has witnessed significant socio-economic development and progress. People have tasted peace.

In recent months, many have called for replacing the Assam Rifles due to bias allegations. What, in your view, is the main reason behind this lack of trust in the Assam Rifles’ role in controlling violence?

I’ve consistently maintained that these allegations are false. People from both communities did target us at one point. However, there are individuals with vested interests perpetuating this, and regrettably, the media played a part in it. There was a disinformation campaign in place, and during this period, many viral videos were from Myanmar, which were selectively circulated and didn’t provide the full picture.

But ask any common man from both the communities. They will tell you what role we, along with the Indian Army, played there. We were just doing our duties. And what were people against us for? Because we are preventing both the communities from fighting with each other. There were instances when people of a community were going enmasse to attack the other after being fed with a certain narrative. And here, we stopped them. So obviously, when emotions are running high and they are prevented from doing what they want to, stories get cooked up.

But people have now realised that the Assam Rifles, along with the Army, can sort this mess out. Nobody knows the people, the terrain, the culture, the traditions, any better than us. Surely, the other forces which came have also helped, but they are, in some way, handicapped for the kind of institutional knowledge and continuity that we have.

Given Assam Rifles’ extensive history in the region, how does the current situation compare to the times when insurgency in the state was at its peak?

In insurgency situations, forces face intense live fire, ambushes, IED blasts, and grenades, but the recent chaos, although involving sporadic bullets, wasn’t as intense. Insurgent incidents occur intermittently. The frequency of firing incidents was higher in recent months. In insurgencies, the enemies are known, and a strong response is given. Here, it’s guarded as civilians are involved daily. They only fire if someone else does, not to cause harm but to disperse the crowd. These are our people, not insurgents.

Can you explain the challenges and dynamics of working with the state police, especially in light of recent friction, such as the FIR filed by Manipur Police against the AR?

When all this started, initially, the security forces had never worked in conjunction with each other, both the police and the central forces. But the significant improvement is that today, every operation is carried out jointly. You have AR, Army, BSF, CRPF, and local police – all five or six components working together for a specific operation, be it searching for weapons or apprehending wrongdoers. The police and our operations are now better synchronized, enabling us to restore normalcy more effectively.

There have been assurances from the state government on the removal of AR from buffer zones and replacing them with paramilitary forces. Do you see that happening any time soon?

Why should there be such plans? We are there everywhere — in the plains, hills and in between in the buffer zones. Our officers and men are doing their job to the best of their abilities and in a highly professional manner. For us, bringing back normalcy is the most important job at hand and we shall persevere to do that.

How do you foresee the return to normalcy in Manipur? What proactive measures do you believe should be taken to expedite the restoration of peace?

If all goes well, this mess should be sorted out fully in a few months. We have been proactive right from the very beginning. We have been in talks with the civil society organisations of both the communities, including women’s organisations. We have been reaching out to all violence-affected people and have established camps for them, rendered medical aid, evacuated thousands, prevented several places from getting burned, helped schools restart and children relocate. We are also helping the government in distribution of essential supplies and facilitating the reopening of the national highways. All this is kind of adding up to restoring normalcy. In one line, we are making our work do the talking.