A day after two Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed at their outpost in Bishnupur area of Manipur in an attack by militants, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, inspector general, CRPF, on Sunday said that the assailants will be identified and punished for their actions very soon.
"It was very sad for all of us, a large number of CRPF personnel have been deployed here and we have been performing various duties during the last year. This was the first time that our remote camp was attacked. The location of the camp was such that it helped them to enter and cause harm to us. We will find out who they were and very soon they will be punished for their actions," the CRPF IG said.
The personnel who lost their lives were from the CRPF 128 Battalion deployed at the Naransena area in Bishnupur district in the state.
Birendra Kumar Sharma, IG, CRPF West Bengal said that deceased CRPF personnel have been identified as sub inspector N Sarkar and head constable Arup Saini.
The injured personnel were identified as inspector Jadab Das (Post Commander) and constable Aftab Ul Hussain.
CRPF IG Akhilesh Prasad Singh said that the deployment of the CRPF in Manipur dates back to the 1980s.
"We have also been doing anti-insurgent operations, law and order duties and security of vital installations. This was before May 3, 2023. Since then, when ethnic clashes took place, many companies of CRPF were inducted and our first responsibility was to control these clashes. We controlled it and tried to restore law and order that includes flag march, patrolling, barricading, crowd control, and instilling confidence in the minds of people," Singh said.
He pointed out that CRPF personnel had gone on duty as part of the ongoing general elections and the attackers took advantage of it.
"There was a huge deployment of CRPF in the elections and at that time, our force had gone from a few areas for election duty. These anti-social elements got the opportunity. They felt that our strength was less in numbers and took advantage of it," the CRPF IG said.
"There are very few people who have anti-national thinking. There are many good people but there are a few people, it is a small group that is successful. By small group I mean they have less percentage, they are armed, and they have some locally made weapons. They do not understand what will be the result of this," he said.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the "act of cowardice" against the committed security forces who are working relentlessly to maintain peace and stability in the state. He also assured that their sacrifice will not be forgotten.
"Strongly condemn the assault carried out against the Indian security forces, resulting in the tragic loss of two CRPF personnel in the Naransena area of Bishnupur district. Such actions demonstrate cowardice against dedicated security personnel who work tirelessly day and night to uphold peace and stability in the state. Their sacrifice will not go in vain," wrote Biren Singh on his X handle.
