The bodies of two Meitei men were found in the Jiribam district of Manipur on Tuesday morning, a day after a deadly gun battle between security forces and suspected militants left 10 dead. Violence that broke out in Jakuradhor and Borobekra areas marks one of the most intense battles that erupted in troubled state this year.
Two dead bodies, identified as Laishram Barel Singh, 63, and Maibam Keshwo Singh, 71, were recovered from the Jakuradhor area within houses. Both the men were staying at a relief camp established at the Borobekra police station since they were affected by earlier violence. Local sources pointed out that they were among the 10 people who disappeared yesterday from the relief camp in the melee.
Violence broke out initially on Monday afternoon when reportedly armed groups believed to be from the Hmar community attacked a CRPF post in Jakuradhor and later attacked the Borobekra police station. Militants, according to local residents, also attacked Meitei settlements while destroying homes and shops.
Missing Relief Camp Inhabitants
According to police, six people—three women and three children—who had been staying at the Borobekra relief camp are still unaccounted for. Yurembam Sanjoy Singh, a resident of the locality, said the relief camp was leaving behind shelter for 118 people who have lost their homes since June due to violence. Panic and confusion were seen when the attack occurred, and people fled while running herein.”
“During the day time, the relief camp dwellers step outside. Yesterday, when firing and arson began, people started running hither and thither. After the aggression receded, we found that 10 people were absconding. Today morning, two of them were found dead and two others alive,” said Sanjoy Singh. The remaining six still remain unknown and their safety is a matter of serious concern.
This incident marked the highest single-day casualty count in the ongoing conflict in Manipur this year. It came immediately after the killing of a 31-year-old woman from the Hmar community last Thursday, shot dead in her village near the district headquarters, which further increases the tensions between the Meitei and Hmar communities.
According to Hmar leaders, those who lost lives on Monday were “village volunteers”, which brought “revenge” for killing the woman. The details of the incident’s sequence are still vague as both sides are trading blame.
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