Assam Rifles bring lost Manipur medics to safety

Assam Rifles spot medical personnel during search in Twicken village (representative)

New Delhi:

Timely intervention of the Assam Rifles averted a fatal incident in Manipur after medical personnel of a hospital got lost and headed towards a sensitive area amid ethnic tensions between the Kukizo tribe and the Meitei community, army sources said. Potential trouble.

Three men from Meitei community, who work at a hospital in state capital Imphal, took a wrong turn while driving their Toyota car near Imphal West on Tuesday, sources said.

Military sources said they inadvertently strayed into Kuki-controlled areas before Kontrup in Imphal West District. The two communities are now so divided that no one from either community would go to an area where people from the other community are dominant.

“Aware of the sensitivity of the issue, the Assam Rifles quickly launched a search operation and coordinated with all forces. All security posts were informed of the situation simultaneously,” an army source said.

After a period of search, the troops finally found the paramedics in the village of Twikon, located between Imphalsi and Compopi. Sources said they were brought back safely.

Army sources said: “The three men got lost while traveling from Imphal and strayed into Kuki village. The Assam Rifles displayed situational awareness and acted quickly to ensure the safety of all personnel. Safety.”

The Assam Rifles is Manipur’s primary counter-insurgency and border guarding force. The operational control of the Assam Rifles lies with the Army, while the administrative control lies with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The unit operates in extremely sensitive and challenging environments and often rescues state troopers when they are ambushed by insurgents in the mountains.

Tensions between the mountain-dominated Kuki-Zo tribe and the valley-dominated Meiteis tribe have persisted since the two communities clashed over deep differences over land, resources, political representation and affirmative action policies 11 months.

More than 210 people died in the violence and thousands were internally displaced.