The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing ethnic conflict, the Manipur Police has acquired medium machine guns (MMGs) with improved range and accuracy. However, the police lacks trained personnel to operate these advanced weapons and has sought assistance from the Army, The Times of India reported.
The MMGs, sourced from the Ordnance Factory in Jabalpur, offer a significant upgrade over the existing LMGs, which were partially looted during the initial stages of the unrest in May-June 2023.
The police have reached out to the 57 Mountain Division of the Army, based in Leimakhong, to provide instructors for a 21-day training programme.
Also read: Two Killed, At Least 6 Injured in Fresh Violence in Manipur
Security sources told TOI that the MMGs use 7.62 mm rounds, boast a longer barrel, bi-pod, and tripod capabilities and and can be mounted on a vehicle allowing”for more accurate firing over a distance of 100 to 1200 meters.
In Manipur, violent ethnic clashes erupted in May 2023, and have persisted for over a year, resulting in devastating consequences — hundreds of lives lost, tens of thousands displaced — and a deepening ethnic divide that has sharply polarised the state.