Security personnel are searching the jungles of the nearby hills, where the armed criminals are allegedly hiding out, but the assailants are still at large, according to the locals.

The violence on Friday was the first time anyone had been killed in the state in 13 days. This broke the fragile peace that had been created in a state where clashes between the dominant Meitei community and the tribal Kuki community have killed at least 155 people and forced another 50,000 to leave their homes.

The likely use of the BSF comes on the same day that Manipur’s chief minister, N Biren Singh, asked the Churachandpur deputy commissioner to explain why weapons were shown at an Independence Day parade in the hill district. This adds to the tension in the state, which has been troubled by ethnic violence.

Photos and videos of the event depicted parade participants wearing combat fatigues and carrying what appear to be sophisticated weapons.

“The Prime Minister has requested a report on the public possession and display of firearms. This was not the district administration’s official parade on August 15, but rather one organised by the Zomi Council Steering Committee on the Churachandpur ground, according to a state government official with knowledge of the situation.

However, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a powerful coalition of tribal organisations, denied the allegations. Ginza Vualzong, the ITLF’s spokesperson, stated that the parade participants were village volunteers. “The guns carried by village volunteers are toy or wooden guns,” said Vualzong.

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The majority of Churachandpur’s inhabitants are Kukis. Kukis reside in the hill districts, whereas Meiteis inhabit the plains and valleys, such as Imphal. The Meitei chief minister, N Biren Singh, has been accused of prejudice by Kuki groups. The tribal groups accused Singh’s primarily Meitei police force of prejudice and attacking Kukis.

Ten Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal MLAs of Manipur submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, requesting that separate posts for chief secretary and director general of police be created for Kuki and other tribal communities in the five hill districts.

On Saturday, security forces continued their search for the armed criminals who murdered Thangkhokai Haokip(35), Jamkhogin Haokip(26), and Hollenson Baithe(24) in Ukhrul’s Thuwai Kuki village at approximately 4.30 a.m.

“The search operation continued until late Friday night. Today, it was resumed again. According to intelligence reports, the Assam Rifles are also searching in other locations for the criminals.

Friday night, according to Gigin, the local Ukhrul president of the Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), a meeting was conducted with the villagers, KSO employees, and police.

“The district superintendent, who attended the funeral on Friday evening, has assured us that a BSF squad will be stationed in the vicinity of the village. All these months, the village of Thuwai Kuki was never attacked, so everyone presumed that it would not be targeted. Things have since shifted, however. Even the armed extremists who murdered the three villagers must be hidden in the jungle, said Gigin.

In the village, about 50 houses are utilised by Kuki families.

SP, (Ukhrul) Nigshem Vashum affirmed that the police have requested that a BSF company be stationed in the village as well as neighbouring areas.

The attackers fired upon the three village defenders as they approached the village from the eastern hills. Before departing the scene, the assailants mutilated the bodies. The bunker where the corpses were discovered, according to the police, is roughly 1 km from the village. They added that no credible witnesses to the incident exist.

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The violence in Manipur, which has been ongoing since May 3, sparked a nationwide outcry last month after a 30-second video clip showed a brutal May 4 sexual assault in which a group of men – later identified as Meiteis in a first information report (FIR) – were seen cheering and applauding while stripping two Kuki women and forcing them to parade naked. The horrifying clip prompted the Supreme Court to assume jurisdiction over the case and declare that it will monitor every case of violence against women during the ethnic conflicts. The supreme court also ordered the formation of a high-powered committee comprised of three retired women high court justices who will visit the conflict-ridden state and report on the effectiveness of rescue, relief, and rehabilitation measures.

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The BSF is India’s premier security agency, charged with protecting the 4,096-kilometer international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. In addition, it is responsible for a variety of internal security-related tasks. The BSF employs over 2.65 million personnel in a variety of capacities.

Sujoy Lal Thaosen, the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), has held additional responsibility for the BSF for the past five months.

The Cabinet Appointments Committee (ACC) issued an order designating Nitin Agarwal as the BSF director general. The order stated that Agarwal’s tenure would run from the date he assumed the position until his retirement on July 31, 2026, or until further instructions, whichever came first.

Since the retirement of Pankaj Kumar Singh on December 31, 2022, the position of BSF commander has been vacant for more than five months.

Who exactly is Nitin Agarwal?

Nitin Agarwal, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the Kerala cadre of 1989, is presently the Additional Director General of Operations for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In 2014, he achieved the rank of ADG while serving with the ITBP. According to his LinkedIn profile, Agarwal earned both his B.Tech (1983-1987) and M.Tech (1987-1989) at IIT Delhi. In his spare time, he enjoys practicing tennis.

Throughout his tenure, he has held numerous prestigious positions, such as IG Training at ITBP, IG Sashastra Seema Bal, and ADG-Police with Kerala Police. Agarwal served as an Assistant Engineer at the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers in the early phases of his career.

Agarwal has been designated at Level 16 of the Pay Matrix as a result of his promotion and recent order, which entitles him to a higher salary in his new position. According to the 7th Pay Commission Pay Matrix, Level 16 salaries range between 2,05,400 and 2,24,400. In addition to his salary, Agarwal will be eligible for a number of benefits and allowances associated with his new position.

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Nitin Agarwal’s appointment coincided with the biannual, four-day border discussions taking place in Delhi between the Border Security Force (BSF) and its Bangladeshi counterpart, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). Due to the absence of a director general (DG) at the time, Sujoy Lal Thaosen commanded the BSF delegation in these negotiations. On June 14, following the conclusion of the discussions, Agarwal is anticipated to assume his position as the new leader of the BSF. This is the 53rd iteration of these discussions; the previous meeting took place in July of last year, when a BSF delegation visited Dhaka.

The post Who is Nitin Agarwal? Meet Kerala cadre IPS officer appointed as new DG of BSF appeared first on Republic Aeon.

In a separate development, the official reported that border patrol agents seized more than two kilograms of opium dropped by another Pakistani drone in the Tarn Taran district.

Wednesday evening at 9 p.m., BSF personnel heard the whirring sound of an unmanned aerial vehicle near the Amritsar village of Bhaini Rajputana and opened fire, according to a spokesperson for the force.

During a search operation conducted jointly by the BSF and the Punjab Police, the damaged drone was discovered in a field adjacent to the Rajatal-Bharopal-Daoke tri-junction, he said.

The recovered quadcopter was a DJI Matrice 300RTK model, according to the official.

BSF personnel in Tarn Tara intercepted the Pakistani drone around the same time on Wednesday near the village of Wan, according to a spokesperson.

The soldiers eventually noticed a suspicious motorcycle approaching from Wan and signaled for it to stop. However, its rider raced off in the direction of Mari Kamboke village. According to him, BSF personnel pursued the motorcycle and discovered it abandoned in the village.

The village was cordoned off, and a package sealed in yellow adhesive tape was discovered during a search, according to the spokesperson.

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The package was discovered to contain approximately 2.50 kilograms of heroin. It is suspected that the bike rider carried the package after the drone dropped it off. PTI The CHS IJT

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Egypt’s contingent participated in India’s 74th Republic Day parade in the presence of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Egyptian contingent marched across the parade’s length while saluting the dais, demonstrating the strong diplomatic ties between the two countries.

“It is a joy for us to participate in India. We are visiting India for the first time at this time. It is a wonderful country with a history that predates that of Egypt. Both our civilizations are quite old. With our buddies from the Indian Army, we have been practising here for the past few days. The group’s commander, Egyptian Colonel Mahmoud Mohamed Abdel Fattah El Kharasawy, spoke to the media on Wednesday and said, “Our friendship is strong, and we love supporting one other.

On Thursday, the Indian contingent marched alongside the Egyptian delegation, which was led by Colonel El Kharasawy and had 144 soldiers and represented the various branches of the Egyptian armed services.

A 12-member band marched behind the 144-person military force that made up the Egyptian representation at the parade. Behind the Egyptian contingent commander, an officer was holding the Egyptian flag while two officers each carried a ceremonial sword.

It is believed that the march of the Egyptian contingent and the president of Egypt’s visit are efforts to strengthen already-existing ties between Egypt and India. Since the 1960s, the two nations have maintained close defence relations.

Following an agreement reached between then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, India participated in Egypt’s aircraft sector in the 1960s. The nations worked together to create the Helwan HA-300 fighter aircraft.

An Egyptian military contingent participates at India's Republic day parade in the presence of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. pic.twitter.com/VMOkBPaQ6p

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 26, 2023

According to data on globalsecurity.org, a deal was signed in September 1964 between the two nations for the development of the E-300 engine. From the 1960s through 1984, Indian Air Force pilots also trained Egyptian pilots.

Exercise Cyclone-I, the first combined training session between the special forces of the two militaries, was recently held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on January 14, 2023. The exercise, which lasted 14 days, was designed to improve defence cooperation between the two countries with a focus on professional skill-sharing and Special Forces interoperability in desert terrain while conducting counterterrorism, reconnaissance, raids, and other special operations.

The exercise, which takes place in Rajasthan’s deserts, challenges both contingents to improve their special forces abilities, including sniping, combat free fall, reconnaissance, surveillance, and target designation. It also encourages communication between the two contingents regarding new weapons, equipment, tactics, techniques, and procedures.

India and Egypt on Wednesday upgraded their connection to a strategic partnership in addition to their long-standing military ties. The two nations will work to coordinate their efforts in the areas of politics, security, defence, energy, economy, and countering radicalization and cross-border terrorism.

After consulting with the Egyptian President, PM Modi declared, “We have chosen to transform our bilateral ties with Egypt into a strategic relationship. We will create a long-term framework under the India-Egypt Strategic Partnership for increased cooperation in the areas of politics, security, economy, and science.

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In addition, PM Modi stated that the two nations have agreed to increase their bilateral trade to $12 billion over the following five years.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Egypt’s bilateral trade totaled USD 7.26 billion in 2021–22. The two nations’ bilateral trade agreement has been in effect since March 1978.

On January 27, the Egyptian President will leave India and return to Egypt.

The Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force, as well as the military forces, displayed one of the primary themes of Republic Day, Nari Shakti (women power) (CRPF).

Women participated in the BSF’s Camel Contingent, and for the first time ever, a woman officer co-led a team of Corps of Signals “Daredevils” Motor Cycle Riders in the parade.

In the meantime, the Indian Army sent 61 cavalry columns, nine mechanised columns, six marching contingents, and an army aviation helicopter fly-past.

On Republic Day, 27 tableaux representing various States, Union Territories, Departments, and Armed Forces were on display.

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The BSF said on Monday, “This is the first time that the BSF Mahila Camel Riders will march on Kartavya Path as part of the BSF Camel Contingent during the Republic Day Parade.”

When these women ride camels in a parade, they will wear royal ceremonial uniforms made just for them. A well-known fashion designer put together uniforms that show off the many valuable crafts of India. They will have the iconic Jodhpuri bandhgala and a classic and elegant long tunic.

The BSF said that the 400-year-old Danka method is used to make the zardosi work on the textured fabric from Benaras that is used for different trims.

The striking Pagh is a turban that is based on the traditional Pagh of the Mewar region of Rajasthan. It is worn with the uniform. Since 1976, the BSF camel group has taken part in the Republic Day parade.

The group usually has 90 camels, 54 of which carry troops and the rest carry band members.

The Camel contingent also takes part in the Beating the Retreat ceremony, which is held three days after Republic Day, on January 29.

The BSF is the only force in the country that uses camels both in combat and for ceremonies Bordermen, which is what the BSF people are called, ride these camels to patrol the Thar Desert along the border with Pakistan.

Behind-the-scenes activity of BSF Camel Contingent before the #RepublicDayParade Rehearsals.
Watch them on #KartavyaPath on the occasion of #RepublicDayParade2023 #RepublicDayIndia#BSFNaariShakti#NaariShakti #womenpower pic.twitter.com/8tahbwchVW

— BSF (@BSF_India) January 24, 2023

Out of a total of about 240,000 people who work for the BSF, about 8,000 are women, including about 140 officers and subordinate officers. Sources say that the women are used for all kinds of operational tasks, such as patrolling the zero line and working at night observation posts. Under its water wing, the Force has also put all-women floating Border Out Posts (BOPs) along the border between India and Bangladesh. The BSF also has a motorcycle team made up of only women called Seema Bhawani.

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The BSF was set up on December 1, 1965, and its main job is to watch over the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is the only force in the world that has an air wing, an artillery wing, and a water wing.

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