10 militants die in attack on Manipur CRPF camp
Ten militants were killed by security forces in Manipur after an attack on a CRPF camp, amidst ongoing ethnic violence that has claimed 230 lives.
A combined team of paramilitary personnel and state police gunned down 10 militants on Monday in Jiribam district of Manipur after a group of armed men attacked a security camp, underlining the simmering tensions in a state where 230 people have died in clashes that started roughly 18 months ago.
In a statement, Manipur Police said that around 3pm, a post of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Jakuradhor and the nearby Borobekera police station were attacked by armed militants. The combined security forces, including CRPF and civil police, retaliated strongly. While 10 bodies were recovered, the forces suspect one more militant, whose body was taken by cadres, was killed in the attack.
“Due to the attack, CRPF constable Sanjeev Kumar sustained a bullet injury and has been evacuated to Silchar Medical College in Assam, where he is currently receiving treatment,” the statement said.
The heavy exchange of gunfire lasted for 40-45 minutes, after which the situation was brought under control.
“During a search of the area, 10 bodies of armed militants were recovered along with a cache of arms and ammunition, including three AK-47 rifles, four SLRs, two INSAS rifles, one RPG, a pump-action gun, BP helmets, and magazines,” the statement added.
This is the highest single-day casualty of militants in the restive region since September 7, when four militants — from both tribal and Meitei militant groups — were killed. It underlined that rampaging violence in the state had weakened the rule of law and what had started as an ethnic clash between two communities had slowly engulfed the entire province.
Manipur Police did not disclose the identity or ethnicity of the deceased militants. In a statement, the Hmar Village Volunteers (HVV), a force comprised of Hmar tribals that guards villages, said that 11 people who died were their village defence volunteers.
The Kuki-Zo council confirmed that the 11 were “Kuki-Zo village volunteers.”
The gunbattle sparked some secondary attacks on villages near buffer zones, said police officers. Manipur Police confirmed that a criminal case under sections of the stringent UAPA, attempted murder and other sections will be registered.
“At around 3pm, the two camps came under attack simultaneously. The militants had RPGs and AK47 assault rifles. Such weapons have been recovered too. Within minutes, we received information about one jawan, who had sustained grievous injuries. The forces gave a befitting response during which the 10 militants were killed. Many of them fled to the jungle,” said an official aware of the matter.
The official said that there could be around 30-40 armed militants. “Borobekra has a lot of Meitei internally displaced persons (IDPs) living within the police station premises. It looks like the militants were targeting the Meitei IDPs .”
A second official said the militants could possibly be from other districts such as Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. “The post-mortem will be conducted in Silchar. So far none of them have been identified. Their photos will be released to the public for identification,” the second official added.
Operations in and around Jakuradhor were continuing to flush out armed militants, with reinforcement teams from the Assam Rifles, CRPF, and civil police deployed till the time of going to print, Manipur police said in a statement.
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita were imposed in the area, according to a notification. “There is apprehension of widespread disturbance to peace and public tranquillity or a riot or any affray in the area and grave danger to human lives and properties because of unlawful activities of some anti-social elements,” said the notification, prohibiting the assembly of five or more people.
Located around 220km from Imphal near the Assam border, Jiribam is home to Meiteis, Kukis, Bengalis, Nepalis, Nagas, and other communities. It had remained largely peaceful despite the state being roiled in clashes. However, the killing of 59-year-old S Saratkumar Singh, a resident of the village, on June 6 disturbed the peace and forced many to flee the region.
Hours after the shoot-out, the Kuki-Zo Council, another umbrella group of the two tribal groups, announced a total shutdown on Tuesday to express “collective grief and solidarity” over the deaths. The Kuki body condemned the incident and called for an “immediate and thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
“In light of the tragic events that unfolded today in Jiribam, where we lost 11 Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers at the hands of CRPF personnel, the Kuki-Zo Council has announced a total shutdown tomorrow…The loss of our precious Kuki-Zo lives is not only a devastating blow to the families, but to the entire Kuki-Zo community,” the council said.
Since May 2023, Manipur has been roiled by ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community, and the tribal Kukis, with other communities increasingly sucked into the clashes over the last few months. At least 230 people have lost their lives, and another 50,000 have been displaced.
Far from any administrative salve to a now-fractured society, the fallout of the long-running ethnic hostilities has meant that the Meiteis, who live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, who predominantly live in the hills, have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. In response, security forces have created buffer zones in different border districts, set up camps and posts on highways.
But often, militants from both groups use the hills and the jungle area to cross into other districts and attack each other. The hostilities have also led to the proliferation of groups such as Arambai Tenggol (AT), underlining how fault lines have widened beyond the Meitei-Kuki divide, pitting different communities against each other.
Since November 7, Jiribam has been on high alert after murder of a 38-year-old tribal woman who was allegedly raped, shot in her leg and burnt. Kuki-Zo groups have accused Meitei radical group, Arambai Tenggol, for the incident.
In separate developments on Monday, on the fourth consecutive day of gunfire and bomb attacks by militants, two individuals, including a farmer, sustained bullet injuries in separate incidents in Imphal East and Bishnupur districts.
In Imphal East, where an Indian Army jawan was injured by gunfire, a farmer named Kanshok Horam, 35, sustained multiple bullet injuries during the attack. After receiving first aid at the Primary Health Centre in Yaingangpokpi, he was referred to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) for further treatment.
“I, along with nine others, went to the paddy field at Yaingangpokpi Santi Khongbal around 7am. Around 9am, I heard gunfire and saw that I had been shot. The assailants fired directly at us. We tried to escape but couldn’t because they kept shooting. Eventually, BSF personnel and Yaingangpokpi police rescued us,” Kanshok said.
Hospital authorities confirmed that Kanshok sustained multiple pellet injuries. Five pellets were removed at the Primary Health Centre, but two remain lodged in his body and will be removed at JNIMS.
The officer-in-charge of Yaingangpokpi Police Station said that the incident occurred around 9.35am. Upon hearing gunfire, state forces led by him, along with a team from E/119 BSF, retaliated and engaged in a 10-minute gunbattle before rescuing seven farmers trapped in the paddy field.
In a separate incident, heavily armed militants from the Dumpi hill range, adjacent to a Kuki-dominated area, launched an attack on the Saiton area in Bishnupur district around 2.30 am., police confirmed. Saiton, located in Bishnupur district, borders Churachandpur district, a stronghold of the Kukis.