In view of the latest upsurge in armed clashes between militants and security forces in Moreh town and its surrounding areas Chief Minister N Biren Singh has once again hinted at the involvement of Myanmar mercenaries. He said, foreign mercenaries from Myanmar likely to be KNA-B cadres were involved in attacking security forces at Moreh and the Kuki militants who attacked the state forces had sophisticated weapons in their possession, even bullets which could penetrate bullet proof vehicles. He also said that the state government is constantly in touch with the central government. Therein lies the rub.
The central government knows perfectly well what is really going on in Manipur and its border areas through its various intelligence agencies and the internal security mechanism based in New Delhi gets daily updates and they certainly do not need prodding from the state government or its agencies to act to secure its border areas. Unlike other border guarding forces, the Assam Rifles which is charged with the responsibility of the Indo-Myanmar border is enabled by years of experience in counter-insurgency operations and intelligence collection commensurate with its responsibilities.
The force is privy to information regarding which insurgent outfit is based in Myanmar and where through its operatives working beyond the border. These operatives are certainly not of Indian origin as they need to know the language besides the contours and affiliations over there. Any intelligent person would perceive that. The question is whether they had neglected their primary duty of guarding the border and checking illegal infiltration while it is busy with its secondary responsibilities, as evident from the presence of several illegal immigrants in Moreh and its surrounding areas.
Besides the Assam Rifles, every Indian intelligence agency under the sun has listening posts in Moreh town. So, the Union Home Ministry or any other concerned central ministry is getting intelligence inputs in whatever form they want. And they do not need the state government or its agencies for that.
In June 2023, state Governor Anusuiya Uikey had referred to the presence of certain inimical elements who could have infiltrated from across the border to fuel the current unrest in Manipur. It was indeed a welcome ‘shift’ in Centre’s perception of the said unrest. While valley based CSOs and certain knowledgeable individuals had been consistently pointing out the ‘involvement’ of armed Myanmarese illegals in the present violence in the state, certain sections including some agencies had been all along crying foul of such ‘allegations’ and vehemently denying it. When Governor Uikey’s comments were first reported it grabbed headlines.
Although the statement had room for interpretation in ways more than one, it ruffled certainly feathers. While some went scurrying for cover, a certain CSO asked for clear evidence about the presence of ‘external forces’ in the current unrest. But, Governor Anusuiya did not go back on her comments to the presence of ‘certain inimical elements’ from across the border while asserting that her comment was based on credible intelligence inputs.
What we may conclude from here is that, the Central government and its intelligence apparatus works in different layers. Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself holds his cards close to his chest and no one except maybe Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows what he is doing. The mandarins at the Home Ministry work at a different level while the foreign intelligence network RAW might have a wholly different perspective. Perhaps, it is time for the state Chief Minister, N Biren Singh, to understand the layers and act accordingly. There is no need for sending high level delegations to New Delhi. Make them come here and convince the people.
