Indian Army Chief denies use of drones by militants in Manipur violence

Guwahati, Oct 2: The Indian Army has categorically dismissed allegations of drone technology being used by militants during the recent violence in Manipur, labelling them as “mere rumours”.

Speaking to a news website on Tuesday, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi highlighted that such misinformation has contributed to the escalating tensions in the state.

“We shouldn't allow false narratives to be built. There was a claim about bomb drones; we went to the ground to check and found no bomb drones. The same applies to the assertion that '900 Kuki militants' have infiltrated Manipur—again, we went to the ground, checked, and found nothing,” he told the news website.

He also characterised the ongoing violence as a “battle of narratives”, acknowledging that while the situation may appear stable, it remains tense.

"Rumour mongering has led to significant violence, which the region has yet to stabilize from. Over time, this has fostered a polarisation between communities. The situation may be stable today, but it is indeed tense," General Dwivedi concluded.

The Army Chief’s comments regarding the absence of drone bombs add complexity to the already intricate situation in Manipur. Additionally, these remarks stand in stark contrast to numerous reports of drone bombing incidents across various locations in Manipur, including Koutruk and Senjam Chirang in West Imphal.

Concerns over rising drone attacks prompted the Central government to approve the use of Medium Machine Guns (MMG) in Manipur on September 5.

Sources confirmed that the Manipur Police has acquired the 7.62mm MMG MK 2AI, which boasts enhanced range and accuracy, from the Ordinance Factory in Jabalpur.

In response to the increasing threat of drone attacks, the Manipur government also established a high-level committee on September 3 to investigate the incidents.

This committee, chaired by Additional DGP Ashutosh Kumar Sinha, includes Major Generals SS Kartikeya and Ravroop Singh, alongside senior officers Vipul Kumar and JK Birdi.

The formation of the committee comes on the heels of a disturbing incident on September 1, when suspected militants reportedly deployed Rocket Propelled Grenades using advanced drones in Koutruk, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to over sixteen individuals, including two minors. Eyewitnesses reported that the grenades were dropped with military precision at specific targets.

The state police were unavailable for comment on the matter.