New Delhi:ย The Indian Army has said it is using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to monitor mobs and groups, largely women, who are blocking roads and not allowing security forces to pass.
The violence in the state is showing no signs of letting up, with fresh gunfire reported on Friday afternoon. Security foces were reportedly stopped from reaching the site of the violence.
According to The Hindu, the army said on Friday (June 23) that large groups of women prevented security forces from entering areas bordering Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts, while “armed miscreants” opened fire at the villages. No casualties were reported.
The army’s Spear Corps also tweeted footage from drones which showed the blocked roads, and said that to maintain peace and after consulting the local leaders, โblocks (established to prevent movement of additional miscreants towards the area) were partially lifted to give safe passage to miscreants & mob to withdraw from areaโ.
๐จ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ & ๐๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐จ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ & ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ
Firing from Automatic Weapons by Armed Miscreants responded firmly & resolutely by own columns. In view of blocks by womenโฆ pic.twitter.com/PJTh2R2Whz
โ SpearCorps.IndianArmy (@Spearcorps) June 23, 2023
Women blocking roads to stop security forces and allegedly provide a cover for shooters has been witnessed several times in violence-hit Manipur recently. The army had said in an earlier tweet that a โgroup of armed miscreants sneaked into the area from YKPI (Yaingangpokpi) towards hill side today afternoon. Miscreants firing automatic weapons towards villages of Urangpat & Gwaltabi. Security Forces Columns deployed in these vacant villages responding in calibrated manner to avoid any collateral damage. Large group of women part of mob in YKPI & Seijang area preventing movement of additional columns into the area.โ
Union home minister Amit Shah is hosting an all-party meet on the Manipur situation on Saturday. The Narendra Modi government has been criticised for the prime minister’s ongoing silence on the matter, despite the ethnic violence that began on May 3 leaving more than 150 people dead and more than 40,000 displaced from their homes.