Manipur:
Volatility Persists in Chandel
Nijeesh
N.
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On December
15, 2016, at least three Manipur Police personnel were
killed and another 11 were injured when suspected militants
ambushed road opening parties (ROPs) of the Manipur Police
at two different places in Chandel District. The first
ambush occurred at around 6 am [IST] near the Lokchao
Bridge in Lokchao village. Two Police constables were
killed and 11 were wounded. M-79 grenade launcher shells
and spent bullets of M-16 assault rifles were recovered
from the ambush site. Around two hours later, a Police
team coming from the State capital, Imphal, was attacked
in the Bongyang area of the same District, and one Policeman
on ROP duty was killed. Though no outfit has claimed the
attacks so far, based on a report filed by State Director
General of Police (DGP) L.M. Khaute, the Manipur Government
sent a report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA)
on December 16, 2016, stating that the Isak-Muivah faction
of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM)
was suspected to be behind the twin attacks. Chandel District
shares a border with Myanmar.
Earlier
on November 26, 2016, at least five troopers of the Army’s
Para Special Force deployed along the Manipur-Myanmar
border sustained serious injuries when militants ambushed
a patrol party in the Sajik Tampak area in Chandel District.
Though the soldiers retaliated, all the militants managed
to escape across the border, taking advantage of the densely
forested area. The United National Liberation Front of
Western South East Asia (UNLFWESEA),
claimed responsibility for the attack. For a long time
the Sajik Tampak area, which is close to the Myanmar border,
was the ‘headquarters’ of several insurgent groups, but
Security Forces (SFs) had eventually pushed them out and
established a permanent camp. On April 17, 2015, the Khaplang
faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(NSCN-K)
joined hands with three of the most active terror outfits
in the Northeast: the Independent faction of United Liberation
Front of Asom (ULFA-I);
IK Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front
of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS);
and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO),
to form UNLFWESEA. CorCom
[Coordination Committee], a conglomerate of six Manipur
Valley-based militant outfits have also reportedly extended
‘moral support’ to the Front.
On October
29, 2016, a non-local shopkeeper, Dharmendra Kumar aka
Aju (40), was shot dead by unidentified militants
in the Moreh area of Chandel District. The deceased’s
pregnant wife, Chanda, was also severely injured in the
firing. Police said they suspected that the attack was
part of a possible extortion bid.
Chandel
Distinct had witnessed a major
attack on SFs on May 22, 2016, when
six Assam Rifles (AR) personnel, including one Junior
Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed, and another seven
personnel were injured in an ambush at Hengshi village
in the Chakpikarong tehsil (revenue unit) of the
District. The militants had triggered an Improvised Explosive
Device (IED) before opening fire on the AR convoy, which
was returning to their Battalion Headquarters at Joupi
village in Chakpikarong tehsil of Chandel District,
after assessing a landslide in Holingjang. The militants
took away four AK-47 rifles, one light machine gun, one
INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle and ammunition
from the SFs. Notably, on June 4, 2015, in one of the
worst
militant attacks targeting SFs’ in
the entire Northeast, 18 Army personnel had been killed
and another 11 injured, when militants ambushed a convoy
of 46 troopers of the Army’s 6 Dogra Regiment at Moltuk
village (just about 30 kilometers away from Hengshi village)
in the Khengjoy tehsil of the Chandel District.
Insurgency-related
Incidents in Chandel District: 2000-2016*
Year
|
Civilian
Fatalities
|
SFs
Fatalities
|
Terrorists
Fatalities
|
Total
Killed
|
Incidents
of Explosion
|
Incidents
of Abduction
|
Incidents
of Arms Recovery
|
Incidents
of Arrest
|
Incidents
of Surrender
|
2000
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2001
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2002
|
0
|
2
|
12
|
14
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
2003
|
0
|
2
|
10
|
12
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2004
|
3
|
25
|
3
|
31
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
2005
|
3
|
5
|
2
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2006
|
6
|
5
|
22
|
33
|
4
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
2007
|
22
|
26
|
39
|
87
|
4
|
1
|
8
|
2
|
1
|
2008
|
9
|
4
|
17
|
30
|
6
|
0
|
10
|
1
|
0
|
2009
|
1
|
16
|
42
|
59
|
1
|
0
|
26
|
5
|
0
|
2010
|
1
|
12
|
0
|
13
|
8
|
1
|
4
|
5
|
0
|
2011
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
5
|
24
|
1
|
2012
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
13
|
2
|
2
|
19
|
31
|
0
|
2013
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
6
|
8
|
0
|
2
|
20
|
2
|
2014
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
1
|
21
|
31
|
1
|
2015
|
2
|
21
|
6
|
29
|
7
|
2
|
7
|
20
|
1
|
2016
|
2
|
9
|
0
|
11
|
8
|
1
|
7
|
5
|
0
|
Total
|
61
|
136
|
164
|
361
|
57
|
11
|
113
|
147
|
6
|
Source:
SATP, *Data till December 18, 2016.
|
According
to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), at least 11 persons, including two
civilians and nine SF personnel, have been reported killed
in insurgency-related incidents in the Chandel District
during the current year (data till December 18, 2016).
During the corresponding period of 2015, the District
had recorded 29 fatalities (two civilians, 21 SF personnel
and six militants). There were no more fatalities in 2015
thereafter. It was in the year 2007 that the District
had recorded its highest number of fatalities, 87, including
22 civilians, 26 SF personnel and 39 militants.
One of
the five Hill Districts of Manipur, Chandel was formed
on May 13, 1974, and covers an area of 3,313 square kilometers
in the south-eastern part of the State. Formerly known
as Tengnoupal District, the District Headquarters was
shifted to Chandel in 1983, and the District was subsequently
renamed Chandel. It is the fourth largest District of
Manipur, bordering Myanmar on the south, Ukhrul District
on the east, Churachandpur District on the south and west,
and Thoubal District to the north. With a population of
144,182 (2011 Census), Chandel is the second least populous
District in the State, after Tamenglong. Around 86 per
cent of the total population of the District is tribal,
from about 20 different tribes, prominently consisting
of Anal, Lamkang, Moyon, Monsang, Chothe and Maring (collectively
known as old Kuki), Thadou and Zou, as well as Meiteis
including Muslims (Meitei Pangal) in small numbers. Nearly
88 per cent of the population lives in a total of 361
villages. Moreh town, the international trade centre of
the State, lies on the southernmost part of the District.
In spite
of its proximity to the centre of political and administrative
power in the State, Chandel remains one of the most backward
Districts of Manipur. A significant proportion of the
blame for the state of affairs goes to the raging militancy
in the District. The proximity of the District to Myanmar,
which has been used by various insurgent groups as a safe
haven for years, has been the bane of Chandel. These militant
outfits frequent the District en route to and from
Myanmar, where they have their camps. Major insurgent
groups such as NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, ULFA-I, People’s Liberation
Army (PLA),
People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK)
and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF),
are the most active in the District, as these outfits
have been able to establish mobile camps with very efficient
informer networks in the hills of Western Myanmar. According
to recent reports, an estimated 2,000 cadres belonging
to a dozen outfits have taken shelter in Myanmar.
The entire
area along the India-Myanmar border, including Chandel
District, has been witnessing deadly militant attacks
on SFs in the recent past and remains volatile. According
to partial data compiled by SATP, between January 1, 2000,
and December 18, 2016, there have been at least 751 fatalities,
including 130 civilians, 182 SF personnel and 439 militants,
in 10 Districts, spread across the four northeastern States
[Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland] of
India that shares borders with Myanmar. Worryingly, Chandel
District is the worst affected, accounting for 361 fatalities
(61 civilians, 136 SF personnel and 164 militants) over
this period.
The Indian
Army had carried out ‘surgical operations’ inside Myanmar
after the June 4, 2015, Chandel attack and reportedly
killed several insurgents in different militant camps.
Nevertheless, vulnerabilities along the border persist.
On August 19, 2016, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren
Rijiju stated that India had requested Nyapyidaw to take
action against insurgent groups taking shelter in Myanmar:
“There are reports of some leaders of insurgent outfits
from the north east taking shelter in Myanmar and we are
in constant talks with the Government of that country
requesting them to take action against them." Further,
on September 5, 2016, a report claimed that New Delhi
had started supplying advanced weaponry and gadgets to
the Myanmar Army to enable it to set up its military headquarters
close to areas occupied by the militant groups.
While its
proximity to Myanmar Border has made Chandel vulnerable
to insurgent activities for long, recent developments
have added to its susceptibilities. Thus, in the evening
of October 30, 2016, the State Government decided to upgrade
the Sub-divisions of Sadar Hills and Jiribam to full-fledged
Districts. The Government subsequently reversed its decision
on October 31, 2016, as it was opposed by the Naga organisations
who felt that the upgrade would help form more Kuki-dominated
Districts in the State. The United Naga Council (UNC)
– the apex body of the Naga community in Manipur – had
launched an indefinite economic blockade from November
1, 2016, which is still in force. Stringent measures to
lift the ongoing blockade as early as possible are urgently
required, as the current situation has the potential to
adversely impact the security situation across the Northeast
region.
In the
meantime, on December 8, 2016, the State Government announced
the creation of seven new Districts – Kangpokpi, Noney,
Tengnoupal, Pherzol, Kamjong, Kakching, and Jiribam (partially
reversing the earlier reversal of October 31). These seven
new Districts were carved out of the earlier nine, including
Chandel. Tengnoupal was carved out of Chandel and the
formal inauguration was done on December 15, 2016, the
day of the last attack. In fact the Police team that was
targeted near Lokchao Bridge was heading for Tengnoupal,
where State Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was scheduled
to attend the programme to inaugurate the new District.
Despite the attack, the Chief Minister attended the programme.
As in the
case
of Manipur as a State, there has been
relative improvement in the security situation in Chandel
District. Nevertheless, the cyclical nature of violence
in the District (and the State) remains a perpetual threat,
sharply accentuated in Chandel as a result of the peculiar
vulnerabilities arising from its shared borders with Myanmar,
and the concentration of insurgent safe havens there.
|