NEW DELHI: The North East is tense in view of renewed threats by insurgent groups. Security measures were tightened in Manipur, with Independence Day was observed amidst tight patrolling.
Militant outfits jointly called for a total shutdown in Manipur. The groups include the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia, the Coordination Committee (corcom), United Revolutionary Front (Lalheiba) group and Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP).
The Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag flagged the threat and the tension, with his decision to visit the border states and personally take stock of the security situation in the Northeast during a day-long visit to the region.
Suhag visited the Eastern Army Command where he was given a detailed briefing by top officials from the military as well as the civilian authorities on the situation in the region.
His visit comes close on the heels of two NSCN-K terrorist being killed in an encounter in Nagaland. Two NSCN-K militants were killed and another was injured in an encounter with security forces at Avangkhu in Phek district of Nagaland on Wednesday night.
A patrol of security forces was fired upon by the NSCN (K) militants and in the retaliatory fire two cadres were killed and one was injured last night.
The security forces had gone to the area on reports of forced recruitment of school boys and kidnappings from Avangkhu and Pokhungri villages by the militants.
The NSCN-K that seems to have become more active in the region has become a cause of worry for the military. It was credited with the ambush on the army convoy in which 18 soldiers were killed, although several North East experts seem to think that the attack seemed to carry Paresh Barua and his ULFA factions imprint. Both groups are working together under the larger umbrella of the United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia, with Khaplang focusing more on negotiating a peace accord with Myanmar, and Barua still looking at India.