IMPHAL, INDIA: An unidentified flying object (UFO) was spotted hovering over the Imphal airport for about two hours on Sunday, causing flight delays for about three hours. Two flights were diverted due to the UFO sighting and the Air Force activated its defense mechanism.
Three flights were delayed and two diverted due to the sighting of the UFO, airport director Chipemi Kisin said in a statement. The diverted flights included an Air Indigo plane from Kolkata that landed in Guwahati instead of Manipur.
An Air Traffic Control (ATC) official said that at around 2.30 p.m. they received a message from the CISF that an object was flying near the Imphal airport and it was visible to the naked eye moving westward to the airport till 4 p.m. The object was not visible to the naked eye. The Silom Air Command was informed of the situation and took control of the airspace until a security clearance was obtained.
The presence of the UFO comes at a time of ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, where clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo ethnic groups have been going on for the past six months. The violence has killed about 200 people and led to the state extending a ban on Internet services.
The government said the ban on internet services was necessary to prevent hate speech and content inciting violence from spreading on social media. The Manipur police chief said authorities suspected that “some anti-social elements” may be using social media to share videos and make hate speeches, inciting violence and undermining law and order in the state.
The UFO sighting and the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur have heightened tensions in the state. The authorities are investigating the UFO sighting and have appealed to the people to remain calm.