Bomb drones are deployed in India's forgotten civil war

As violence splitting the state of Manipur along ethnic lines escalates, families of its victims want the government to act

- NAMITA SINGH

Ngangbam Ingo’s life fell apart earlier this month when his wife was shot and killed in an attack by a tribal militia in northeastern India – part of the escalating ethnic conflict that has riven the state of Manipur in two.

While sporadic clashes between two ethnic communities in the state have led to a steady trickle of deaths since the conflict began 18 months ago, a new and worrying escalation emerged this month with the first use of weaponised drones – until now both sides have been wielding only basic firearms such as hunting rifles and improvised weapons.

On 1 September, Ingo’s wife Ngangbam Surbala, 36, and their 11-year-old daughter Ngangom Rojiya were on their way back from visiting their son, Mahesh, 14, at his boarding school when they found themselves in the crossfire of an attack by suspected Kuki militia.

“My daughter wanted to visit her grandmother, and that’s when they were attacked,” Ingo tells The Independent. At 1.50pm that day, Ingo received a frantic call from his wife.

“She told me there was heavy gunfire. I was worried and told them to take cover, to just hide,” he recalls while speaking in local Manipuri language as his voice shakes with emotion. Just three minutes later, he received another call – this time, with devastating news. “My wife had been shot, and my daughter was injured, a local told me, calling from their phone,” he says, choking back tears.

The latest outbreak of violence reportedly claimed at least 11 lives, adding to the mounting toll of arond 225 from fighting between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities that began in May last year. Death tolls are pieced together from media reports as the Indian government – which has come under sustained criticism for its failure to restore peace to the region – does not maintain a tally that is publicly available.