Guwahati: The Manipur govt on Saturday decided that every security post will have to strengthen cover in its area of deployment and that combing operations will continue to nab those involved in the violence.The decision came a day after four Naga civilians were shot dead in an ambush by unidentified armed men on the Imphal-Dimapur highway in Ukhrul district.The directives were issued at a security review meeting chaired by CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh in Imphal.Khemchand said on X that the meeting was convened “in the wake of the unfortunate incidents at Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district and yesterday’s ambush at New Heaven in Ukhrul district”.“During the meeting, it was decided that combing operations will continue to nab the culprits involved in various crimes. It was further decided that the respective security post deployed in an area will have to strengthen security cover in their said area of deployment. The meeting also deliberated at length on measures to further strengthen the security arrangements in vulnerable areas of the state,” the chief minister said.Besides the Army, over 300 companies of five central security forces — Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB — are deployed in Manipur alongside the state police. Specialised CRPF units, including CoBRA and Rapid Action Force, are also deployed in the state.Earlier on Saturday, the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex Naga body, issued a three-day ultimatum to the Centre and the state govt, demanding the removal of Kuki militants from Naga areas.It also demanded that Friday’s killings of the four Naga civilians be handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA) for investigation.“We have lost complete faith in the central security forces. Therefore, all the central security forces deployed therein must be immediately withdrawn. Till then, the victims’ families have resolved not to claim the bodies,” the TNL said. It warned that failure to meet its demands would compel the public to launch an indefinite agitation until justice was delivered.The TNL said the incident was the fourth such attack at the same location and that the killings took place in broad daylight, reportedly a few metres from security personnel deployed in the area.Naga MLA Ram Muivah, in a letter to the chief minister, said the attack was not an isolated one. “Repeated attacks along the stretch between Litan and New Haven have created an atmosphere of extreme fear, insecurity, and vulnerability among commuters,” he wrote, adding, “Enough is enough.”Muivah said nine people had been “gunned down in as many months” along a stretch of less than 15 km between Mahadev and New Heaven. He also alleged that more than 100 Ukhrul police personnel and over 800 Manipur Rifles personnel were deployed outside the district.He asked for combing operations in Yaolen, Mongkot Chepu, Shangkai and Lamlai Chingphei, foolproof security along the highway stretch and the return of personnel posted in Ukhrul.Deputy chief minister Losii Dikho, a senior Naga leader, called for dialogue and reconciliation. “The recent loss of innocent lives along the National Highway and within our communities has left deep wounds that violence and retaliation can never heal,” he said.
