Residents in several villages along Manipur’s valley-hill boundary have organised informal night watch groups over the past month, saying they no longer feel they can rely solely on security forces to respond quickly to incidents near their homes.

Volunteers in Kakching and Thoubal districts said the groups coordinate by phone and take shifts monitoring approach roads after dark, alerting police if they spot unfamiliar movement. Organisers stressed the watches are meant to be a deterrent and an early-warning system, not a substitute for law enforcement.

Police officials said they were aware of the volunteer groups and had asked organisers to avoid direct confrontation, urging them instead to report concerns through official channels. Rights groups have previously cautioned that informal armed patrols can escalate tensions if not carefully coordinated with authorities; organisers here said their watches are unarmed.