To Prevent Manipur Jiribam Violence Spillover, Assam Cops’ New Campaign In Cachar District

Guwahati: The Assam Police have started a door-to-door survey to record the number of internally displaced people living in Cachar district, bordering Manipur’s Jiribam.

The district in Manipur had seen violence between the Meitei community and the Hmar tribe after two people from both communities were found murdered in May and this month. Both suspected each other’s hand in the case, which led to arson by Meitei protesters, followed by attacks by heavily armed Hmar insurgents who came by boat to burn Meitei homes in Jiribam.

Nearly 1,700 people from both communities have taken shelter in southern Assam’s Cachar district, just across the state border.

Sources said the Assam government wants to avoid any spillover effect of the violence in Jiribam, a key thoroughfare in Manipur via which the National Highway 37 passes.

“This is Assam, not Manipur. Here, we have a history of tackling militancy and we won’t spare anyone if found involved in illegal activities,” Assam Inspector General (Law and Order) Prasanta Kumar Bhuiyan said.

Mr Bhuiyan said the survey to identify people from Manipur in Cachar started on Sunday. The district is estimated to have sheltered 1,700 internally displaced people from Manipur.

The top cop met Assam Rifles officers in Cachar’s Lakhipur on Monday, where they discussed law and order issues along the inter-state border.

Cachar Deputy Commissioner Rohan Kumar Jha and Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta also met Jiribam’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Monoranjan Thokchom and Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Thomas Thokchom on Monday.

Cachar district shares a 132-km long boundary with Manipur. A large part of it is riverine.