New Delhi . It seems that the second phase of Manipur violence has started. Kuki-Jo terrorists dropped RPGs at several places in Kotrak, Imphal using high-tech drones. RPG means rocket propelled grenades. About seven RPGs were used.
These are normal quadcopter drones, equipped with cameras. Navigation system is installed. They can be easily flown for an hour. The weapon attached to it can be dropped anywhere.
On June 14 this year, about 30 km east of Guwahati, a man from Manipur was caught by the police at a toll gate with 10 intelligent flight batteries. The Assam police was shocked by the incident. It seemed that Myanmar, which is battling a civil war, is cooking up something inside India. This suspicion was confirmed when a man was caught carrying drone parts on a two-wheeler in Rupnagar area of Guwahati.
27-year-old Khaigolen Kipgen of Gamangai village in Kangpokpi district of Manipur was arrested at Sonapur toll gate. He had links with Kuki-Jho terrorists. On the other hand, the drone parts recovered from Sanjib Kumar Mishra in Rupnagar were headed for Meitei groups.
In June, top Assam police officials had admitted that both ethnic groups are arranging drones for their armed squads. There are only two routes for their supply. The first is NH-27 which goes through Nagaland to Manipur. The second is the Silchar route which goes through Assam’s Barak Valley.
A few days before these two incidents, Assam Rifles Director General Lieutenant General Pradip Chandran Nair had said that the 5400 Myanmar refugees present in Kamjong district of Manipur fear air strikes. The apprehension is of some kind of drone attack. Till then, drones had not been used by any ethnic group.