Editor's Pick | Police fear warring groups in Manipur trying to acquire drones for attacks

As the conflict between Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups in Manipur wages on even a year after it started, security officials now believe that unmanned aerial vehicles could be used by the warring factions in the State for attacks. The suspicion arose after 10 intelligent flight batteries were seized from a Manipur-based man in a vehicle at a toll gate about 30 km east of Guwahati on June 14. A day later, another person was caught from the Rupnagar area in the Assam capital carrying drone parts on a two-wheeler. “These seizures following reliable input about the unauthorised transportation of drones and related equipment for armed groups on either side of the ethnic divide in Manipur could be the tip of the iceberg,” an Assam Police officer of the Inspector General rank said. The official also said intelligent flight batteries and drone parts can slip through checkpoints on the arterial National Highway 27 leading to Manipur via Nagaland, and an alternative route from Silchar in southern Assam’s Barak Valley. “We have no reports of drones having been used in the ethnic battle between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei people in Manipur, but their visibility is all across Manipur of late. How many are in operation and for what purpose is anybody’s guess, although these could be used for surveillance for the time being,” an Army officer said. People living in the foothills on the periphery of Imphal Valley are considered most vulnerable to drone attacks because the territory allows the flying gadgets to “peep and fire” from the top of the mounds or trees. The violence in Manipur has been followed by the brazen militarisation of the society, in the hills and in the valley, with vigilante groups, armed with sophisticated weapons, causing law and order problems, and impeding security personnel seeking to impose law and order. Despite reports of extremists equipping themselves with weapons beyond the conventional guns and grenades, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh pinned hopes on the ‘Narendra Modi 3.0’ government to resolve the conflict in two-three months. The Hindu’s Editorials Limit and excess: On the Patna High Court judgment and enhanced reservation ​Money and muscle: On Assembly bye-elections and Tamil Nadu The Hindu’s Daily Quiz When will the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha start? June 24 June 23 June 28 June 25 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 24 June 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 24 June 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Police fear warring groups in Manipur trying to acquire drones for attacks As the conflict between Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups in Manipur wages on even a year after it started, security officials now believe that [unmanned aerial vehicles]( could be used by the warring factions in the State for attacks. The suspicion arose after 10 intelligent flight batteries were seized from a Manipur-based man in a vehicle at a toll gate about 30 km east of Guwahati on June 14. A day later, another person was caught from the Rupnagar area in the Assam capital carrying drone parts on a two-wheeler. “These seizures following reliable input about the unauthorised transportation of drones and related equipment for armed groups on either side of the ethnic divide in Manipur could be the tip of the iceberg,” an Assam Police officer of the Inspector General rank said. The official also said intelligent flight batteries and drone parts can slip through checkpoints on the arterial National Highway 27 leading to Manipur via Nagaland, and an alternative route from Silchar in southern Assam’s Barak Valley. “We have no reports of drones having been used in the ethnic battle between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei people in Manipur, but their visibility is all across Manipur of late. How many are in operation and for what purpose is anybody’s guess, although these could be used for surveillance for the time being,” an Army officer said. People living in the foothills on the periphery of Imphal Valley are considered most vulnerable to drone attacks because the territory allows the flying gadgets to “peep and fire” from the top of the mounds or trees. The [violence in Manipur]( has been followed by the brazen militarisation of the society, in the hills and in the valley, with vigilante groups, armed with sophisticated weapons, causing law and order problems, and impeding security personnel seeking to impose law and order. Despite reports of extremists equipping themselves with weapons beyond the conventional guns and grenades, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh pinned hopes on the ‘Narendra Modi 3.0’ government to resolve the conflict in two-three months. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Limit and excess: On the Patna High Court judgment and enhanced reservationÂ]( [Arrow][​Money and muscle: On Assembly bye-elections and Tamil Nadu]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz When will the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha start? - June 24 - June 23 - June 28 - June 25 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here]( [Sign up for free]( Today’s Best Reads [[Centre's high-level panel on exam reforms likely to meet on June 24] Centre's high-level panel on exam reforms likely to meet on June 24]( [[Police fear Manipur groups trying to acquire drones] Police fear Manipur groups trying to acquire drones]( [[48% of 1,563 eligible candidates skip NEET-UG re-exam] 48% of 1,563 eligible candidates skip NEET-UG re-exam]( [[Delhi excise case: Arvind Kejriwal moves SC against HC’s interim stay on bail order in ED case] Delhi excise case: Arvind Kejriwal moves SC against HC’s interim stay on bail order in ED case]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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