Heavy exchange of fire again in Manipur; at least 16 injured, say police

The incident came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah left Imphal following a three-day visit to the state to take stock of the prevailing situation, following clashes that began early May. Shah met various stakeholders in the state during the visit.

On Friday, the exchange of fire started around 9.30 am and continued until late evening, police officials and local residents said.

Angom Rabikanta, a resident of Phayeng, said three miscreants equipped with sophisticated weapons set fire to his farmhouse before opening fire at villagers around 9.30 am. Rabikanta said the trio, “suspected to be Kuki militants”, came down from the side of the hills “and set fire to my farmhouse”.

Following this, villagers armed with licensed weapons exchanged gunfire with the miscreants, who eventually retreated to a nearby hill, Rabikanta said.

As the news spread, hundreds of people from different parts of adjoining areas, many of them carrying weapons, including a few automatic rifles, rushed to the village and intense firing broke out between these armed individuals, local residents said.

Phayeng is one of several villages in the peripheral areas of Imphal that have been attacked by armed miscreants, suspected to be Kuki militants, since clashes first broke out on May 3. The last incident occurred on May 28, in which one villager was killed.

A statement issued by the Secretariat said the violence that broke out on May 3 has claimed 98 lives so far, and nearly 4,000 weapons have been “looted from the armoury” of state forces and the police.

State and Central armed forces have launched a massive combing operation across the state since Thursday to recover the stolen weapons. On Saturday, the forces recovered a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, it was informed.

On Saturday, the Army and Assam Rifles personnel, along with state police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel, began area domination operations across Manipur, according to an Army statement. As part of the joint strategy for recovery of “snatched weapons”, these operations are significant for restoring peace and will continue in a calibrated manner, it stated.

Conducted under the surveillance cover of unmanned aerial vehicles and quadcopters, the operations have so far resulted in recovery of nearly 40 weapons (mostly automatic), mortars, ammunition and others, the statement said.

According to the statement, adequate measures were undertaken during these operations to ensure that local people are not harassed, and personal safety and security is maintained. Sources said 144 “stolen” weapons along with 11 magazines were recovered on Friday. These seized weapons include 29 SLRs, 15 carbines, 12 INSAS, 10 grenade launchers, among others, sources said.