Violence further escalated on Monday in Manipur’s Jiribam district when suspected Kuki militants attacked a camp of the Central Reserve Police Force, marking another chapter of the ongoing conflict within the region. The attack came following a spate of similar incidents that have been besetting the region since last Friday, raising concerns about intensifying unrest within the state.
11 militants killed in fierce gunfight
According to initial reports, an intense shootout was reported between the militants and the CRPF personnel during which the militants initiated their attack. As per reliable sources coming close to the information, it was confirmed that 11 suspected Kuki militants have been killed in the clash. Though the exact details were not confirmed, information was confirmed that the militants involved were dressed in combat uniform who targeted the CRPF deployed in the Jakuradhor area under the authority of the Borobekera Police Station.
Reports stated that the militants from a Kuki insurgent group also set ablaze abandoned shops and fired several rounds into a Meitei village in the area. A CRPF soldier was also hurt in the violent clash, though no more information on the soldier’s condition has been issued.
Rising Violence In Manipur
A car bomb was hurled on the camp of CRPF in Jiribam as part of a larger spate of violence that has gripped several districts of Manipur for the last fortnight. Several districts saw gunfights and militant attacks, including Imphal East and Bishnupur districts, where two people-one of whom was a farmer-were hurt on Monday.
Farmer Hurt in Imphal East
In a related incident, Kanshok Horam, 35, from New Cannan in Imphal East, was injured when assailants opened fire at him while he was in the fields. Talking to media personnel from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Kanshok described his harrowing experience. “At around 9 am, I heard gunshots, and then I felt multiple wounds,” he said. “The attackers shot directly at us, and we tried to run but couldn’t. It was only after some time that BSF personnel and local police came to rescue us.”
Meanwhile, Kanshok was provided with a multiple pellet injuries treatment at the local health centre where five pellets were removed from his body before he was sent to JNIMS for further treatment. Doctors confirmed that the remaining two pellets lodged in the body and will be out by surgery within the following days.
Joint Security Forces Respond to Rising Threats
While BSF personnel reacted promptly to the shots, the Yaingangpokpi police station along with them rescued seven farmers after a ten-minute gunbattle with the miscreants. The joint team of BSF and police also carried out an area sweep, demolishing several militant bunkers in the known militant hideout of the Uyok Maning Ching range.
Saiton Village Attack In Bishnupur
Earlier this morning, militants from Dumpi hill range attacked the Saiton village under Bishnupur district at around 2:30 am. The local forces repelled the attack on that morning itself after a fierce fight where the village volunteer got injured during the skirmish.
Manipur Security Challenges
Such attacks recently have become a part of a general tendency of gathering violence in the state of Manipur, to which militant groups of varied ethnic origins, like the Kuki, have been giving plenty of resistance against security forces of the state as well as the center. The present insecure state of affairs within the state has brought about serious fear and uncertainty among its people, especially its residents and farmers, who continue to face growing risks from armed insurgents.
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