NEW DELHI: India will deploy an extra 5,000 paramilitary troops to quell unrest in Manipur, authorities said on Tuesday, a week after 16 people were killed in fresh clashes in the troubled state.

Manipur in India’s northeast has been rocked by periodic clashes for more than 18 months between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community, dividing the state into ethnic enclaves. Ten Kuki militants were killed when they attempted to assault police last week, prompting the apparent reprisal killing of six Meitei civilians, whose bodies were found in Jiribam district days later.

New Delhi has “ordered 50 additional companies of paramilitary forces to go to Manipur”, a government source in New Delhi with knowledge of the matter said. Each company of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), a paramilitary unit overseen by the home ministry and responsible for internal security, has 100 troops. The Business Standard newspaper reported that the additional forces would be deployed in the state by the end of the week.

India already has thousands of troops attempting to keep the peace in the conflict that has killed at least 200 people since it began 18 months ago. Manipur has been subject to periodic internet shutdowns and curfews since the violence began last year.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2024