Manipur militants target telecom firm employees

After targeting employees in the sectors of insurance, banking and hospitality, militants in Manipur have now targeted mobile operators in the state to continue their activities of extortion and abduction.

The militants had earlier burned down mobile towers after employees of telecom companies refused to fulfill their demands. In February, militants of the Kangleipak Communist Party (Nongdrenkhomba faction) outfit burnt down a mobile tower and gunned down a security personnel for not responding to their extortion demand.

Many underground outfits have established secret hideouts in the Loktak fresh water lake area, due to the difficult terrain and poor communication network. A large number of Meitei population, mainly fishermen, reside along the bank of Loktak lake.

According to Superintendent of Police Jayanta Singh, the state police have already stepped up their vigil in and around the lake area to flush out militants from the vicinity. Singh further revealed that the state government will deploy three American Hovercrafts for counter-insurgency operations.

Manipur has over 33 different underground militant outfits, most of which thrive on the business of extortion. Almost all development projects in the state are severely affected by this large-scale extortion. The most affected departments are the Public Works Department and the Public Health Engineering Department.

The state police is handicapped by the shortage of weapons and manpower to deal with the situation.