Manipur: Mob attacks Assam Rifles camp after operation against suspected armed Naga cadres

A mob attacked an Assam Rifles camp in Manipur’s Senapati district on Tuesday night after security forces launched an operation against suspected armed cadres earlier in the day, the Ministry of Defence said.

The mob allegedly threw stones, damaged property and set vehicles on fire. No injuries were reported.

The Assam Rifles had launched a patrol and search operation near Makuilongdi based on intelligence inputs about the presence of cadres of the armed Naga group, NSCN(I-M), outside designated camps, the ministry said.

The NSCN(I-M), or the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, has been under a ceasefire agreement with the Union government since 1997. The group refers to itself as the National Socialist Council of Nagalim.

On Tuesday, intelligence reports and social media posts indicated that armed cadres of the group were moving outside designated camps while carrying weapons and wearing uniforms, in violation of the ceasefire agreement, the ministry claimed. The matter was also reported to the Ceasefire Monitoring Group, it said.

The Assam Rifles said that as its personnel approached Makuilongdi and Oklong villages during the operation, they were obstructed by residents, including women. The force claimed that its personnel exercised “maximum restraint” and informed local representatives that the operation was aimed at maintaining security and...

Read more