GUWAHATI: Manipur Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh and Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh announced that recent intelligence inputs issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) regarding the entry of “over 900 Kuki militants” from Myanmar could not be verified. The clarification was issued via a joint statement on Wednesday, September 25.
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The security officials verified that despite thorough checks, no substantial evidence was found to corroborate the claim, leading the CMO to retract its earlier statement.
On September 17, an intelligence input from the CMO was leaked and widely circulated, causing concern among residents, particularly in the Meitei-majority valley. The input claimed that over 900 Kuki militants, newly trained in jungle warfare and the use of drone-based bombs and missiles, had arrived from Myanmar and were reportedly preparing coordinated attacks on Meitei villages by September 28.
Following the leak, the security apparatus, including Assam Rifles, was put on high alert, especially in the hill districts bordering Myanmar. On September 20, Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh confirmed that the intelligence input had been taken seriously and discussed in a high-level Strategic Operation Group meeting, which involved top officials from the Army, Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), and the state police.
The input was met with sharp criticism from Kuki-Zo groups, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, which claimed the intelligence report was being used as a pretext to target Kuki-Zo volunteers.
In response to the mounting concerns, Security Advisor Singh and DGP Rajiv Singh clarified, stating, “The input was verified from different quarters, but it could not be substantiated on the ground. All communities are assured of their safety."
Following the clarification, the CMO also retracted its earlier input, issuing a note to the Information and Public Relations Department and security officials. “The public need not worry further in this regard,” the CMO statement concluded, urging the department to share this updated information with the public.
This incident marks the second time that intelligence inputs from the CMO have been leaked. Earlier, after violence erupted in the Jiribam district in June, a CMO communication referring to a January alert about the movement of “about 200 Kuki-Zo militants” was spreading the rounds.