Centre to deploy CoBRA units in Manipur before monsoon

GUWAHATI: Two units of CRPF's elite CoBRA commandos, the force credited with clearing Chhattisgarh's Bastar of Maoists, are being dispatched to Manipur amid a security overdrive triggered by a fresh spell of ethnic unrest, this time also involving Naga community.State home minister Govindas Konthoujam said on Friday, "There will be some development in 2-3 days." He didn't elaborate beyond saying Union minister Amit Shah had issued orders for "strong action against extremist elements in all areas, from the hills to the Valley".Sources said the 210 Battalion CoBRA, previously stationed in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and adjudged the best operational battalion last year for gunning down 95 Maoists, had been picked for deployment alongside another crack unit, 207 Battalion CoBRA. They are expected to start their new assignment before the start of monsoon.Manipur had barely got a respite from the Meitei-Kuki conflict since May 2023 when a drunken brawl at Litan in Ukhrul district on Feb 7 opened a new flashpoint. An attack by some Kuki tribals on a Tangkhul Naga youth spiralled into arson and retaliatory violence, drawing the Naga community into the ethnic cauldron.Two months of Naga-Kuki clashes have seen villages burned down and attacks by armed groups, one of which killed three pastors of the Thadou Baptist Association. This led to a spate of abductions. Around 20 hostages - 14 Kukis and six Nagas - remain in captivity.CRPF DG GP Singh is currently on a three-day tour of the troubled areas. CM Y Khemchand Singh wrote on social media he and Singh discussed ways to strengthen security and "uphold public trust".