The ongoing episodes of violence in Manipur have not only shaken the conscience of civil society but also led the Govt to reimpose the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 in violence affected districts of Manipur.
Jiribam, the gateway to Manipur is one of the districts in which AFSPA has been reimposed. A mixed demography, comprising of Bengalis, Bishnupriyas, Muslims, Meiteis, Hmars & Kukis has been the precise reason which made Jiribam an exception in the first wave of conflict in 2023. The district remained incident-free and a model for the rest of the state of Manipur. However, since May 2024 sporadic incidents of violence have marred the otherwise peaceful environment of the district. Killings of people, torching of houses, exchange of fire have been happening intermittently in the district on behest of inimical elements who took advantage of the fact that Jiribam is a denotified area and in absence of AFSPA, Security Forces could not act in a befitting manner.
With the re-imposition of AFSPA, there seems to have prevailed a sense of security amongst locals who are now optimistic that Security Forces in general and Assam Rifles in particular would now put an end to this violence.
Assam Rifles has been instrumental in maintaining peace in the region despite presence of inimical elements by maintaining consistent contact with CSOs,villagers and district administration. The Force has been present in the region and successfully averted many incidents by regular recovery of arms & ammunition, bursting of bunkers, shooting of unidentified drones, all in its efforts to maintain stability in the region. It has also been instrumental in taking peace initiatives and providing relief materials to displaced people in Relief Camps. However, due to the region being a denotified area, operations of security forces were restricted and stringent actions could not be initiated against the miscreants which gave them an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and start fresh incidents of violence in the region.
In such circumstances, re-imposition of AFSPA and its welcome by the locals is evident of the fact that Assam Rifles has been successful in winning the trust of the local people. The locals are now hopeful that security forces would take the situation in hands and initiate necessary actions against the perpetuators of violence. It has been confirmed from reliable source that large scale operations against the UGs would be launched shortly by the Security Forces to prevent them from further deteriorating the situation in the district.
Assam Rifles has always been a beacon of hope and symbol of neutrality in conflict-hit Manipur. Despite ravaging incidents of violence and provocation, the force has remained determined to curb the conflict and protect the local communities. In the current situation, all eyes are once again focused on this oldest paramilitary force with the hope that soon it would end the violence and usher in peace in the region like it has successfully done multiple times in the past.
