Eastern Army Commander Lt. General RP Kalita said on Wednesday that the main problems in bringing peace back to the troubled Northeastern state are the large number of guns that are available to the warring groups in Manipur and the instability in Myanmar, which causes a lot of people to come from that country. Kalita said that the situation could get worse at any time as long as people from the fighting Kuki and Meitei groups have access to guns.
During a press conference at Fort William, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Army Command, Lt. General RP Kalita, who is retiring on December 31, said, “The availability of weapons with both communities,” whether they were stolen from the Manipur police armory or brought from Myanmar.
Kalita said that the military’s job is to make sure that there are no violent actions. He said that this task had been carried out successfully in Manipur, where it was called because of fighting between Kukis and Meiteis.
“We need to get back all the guns that were stolen from the police armory or that were given to people from different places.” He said, “We have to make sure that society stays free of all kinds of weapons.”
There have been many coordinated actions by the armed forces, according to the commander of the Eastern Army. In the last five to six months, many weapons and ammunition have been recovered.
He said that the fighting in Myanmar between the junta and rival groups has moved closer to India’s border.
He said that whenever there is fighting between the Myanmar Army and other groups, people from towns near the border come to the Indian side to make themselves safe.
The Army leader said that some of them come back when the fighting stops, but others would rather stay put.
Kalita said that the state police, with help from the Assam Rifles, had taken their fingerprint information and were now putting it together.
“But definitely this continuous influx and movement of population across the borders causes some sort of anxiety in terms of contraband and weapons smuggling,” he stated.
He said that the difficulties are made worse by the rough terrain between India and Myanmar, which makes it hard for the armed forces to control the whole border.
Kalita said that both the Central government and the state government are trying to work with both groups.
He said, “I think that is the only way forward through which you can look for a permanent solution.” He added that there is already dialogue going on between the two communities at the political and civil society levels.
