Assam Rifles troops while searching found the medical staff in Twikon village (Representational)
A timely intervention by troops of the Assam Rifles averted potential trouble in Manipur after the medical staff of a hospital lost their way and drove towards a sensitive area amid the ethnic tensions between the Kuki-Zo tribes and the Meitei community, army sources said.
Three men of the Meitei community who work in a hospital in the state capital Imphal had taken a wrong turn in their Toyota car near Imphal West district on Tuesday, sources said.
They inadvertently strayed into a Kuki-dominated area ahead of Kangchup in Imphal West district, army sources said. The two communities are so sharply divided now that people from either community are not going to areas where those from the other community are dominant.
"Realising the sensitivity of the issue, troops of the Assam Rifles quickly launched a search operation and coordinated with all elements. All the security posts were simultaneously informed about the situation," an army source said.
The troops after searching for a while finally found the medical staff in Twikon village, which lies between Imphal West and Kangpokpi. They were brought back safely, sources said.
"The three men had mistakenly entered the Kuki village after getting disoriented while travelling from Imphal. The Assam Rifles troops exhibited situational awareness and swiftly acted to ensure safety of all personnel," the army source said.
The Assam Rifles is the main counter-insurgency and border-guarding force in Manipur. The Assam Rifles' operational control is with the army, while its administrative control is with the Home Ministry. The force performs its tasks in an extremely sensitive, challenging environment, and has often come to the rescue of the state police during ambushes by insurgents in the hills.
Tensions between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis have been lingering on for 11 months since clashes broke out between the two communities over cataclysmic disagreements on land, resources, political representation, and affirmative action policies.
Over 210 people have died in the violence, and thousands have been internally displaced.