‘Significant escalation’: Manipur Police on use of drones by alleged Kuki militants
The involvement of ‘highly trained professionals, possibly with technical expertise and support’ cannot be ruled out, said the police.
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The Manipur Police on Sunday said that the use of “high-tech drones” by alleged Kuki militants to deploy explosives against security forces and civilians marked a “significant escalation” in the ethnic clashes in the state.
The statement came after two persons were killed and ten, including two police personnel and a television reporter, were injured in gunfire and bombings on Sunday by suspected militants in the Imphal West district, The Indian Express reported.
The state has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May 2023. At least 226 persons have died and more than 59,000 persons displaced since the beginning of the clashes, Chief Minister N Biren Singh told the state Assembly on August 2.
On Sunday, the attack began around 2 pm, close to the border between Koutruk, a Meitei village in Imphal West, and Kangpokpi. The Meitei community is in majority in Imphal West, whereas the tribal Kuki community dominates Kangokpi.
The woman who died was identified as 31-year-old Ngangbam Surbala Devi. Her daughter was also injured in the attack. Apart from Devi, an unidentified man from Koutruk was killed, The Hindu reported.
“In an unprecedented attack in Koutruk, Imphal West, alleged Kuki militants have deployed numerous RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] using high-tech drones,” the police said in a statement after the attack.
It added: “While drone bombs have commonly been used...
