Manipur Police: Ten militants killed, targeted CRPF camp

The incident occurred around 3 pm Monday at Jakuradhor Karong, under the jurisdiction of Borobekra police station. The area is close to the hills of neighbouring Pherzawl district, where the Hmar community is in majority. The Hmars are among the tribes that come under the Kuki-Zo umbrella, and according to Hmar groups, all the 10 people killed Monday were from their community.

Sources said the suspected militants started carrying out attacks around 4 am at multiple locations, including Meitei settlements such as Lamtai Khunou and Jakuradhor Karong, where they targeted shops.

At around 3 pm, a CRPF post and a police station came under fire, police said.

“Today… the CRPF post located at Jakuradhor and Borobekra police station (located nearby) were attacked by armed militants. The security forces retaliated strongly,” Manipur Police said in a statement.

Police said CRPF constable Sanjeev Kumar sustained a bullet injury in the attack and was evacuated to Silchar Medical College in Assam, where he is undergoing treatment.

“The attack was fiercely retaliated by CRPF and civil police. After 40-45 minutes of heavy exchange of fire, the situation was brought under control. After the firing ceased, the area was searched, and 10 bodies of armed militants were recovered, along with arms and ammunition… A criminal case has been registered and is being investigated,” the police statement said.

Arms and ammunition, including three AK-47 rifles, four SLRs, two INSAS rifles and one rocket propelled grenade were recovered during searches after the incident, police said.

Following the violence, the Jiribam district administration issued indefinite prohibitory orders under BNS Section 163, which prohibits the assembly of five or more people and the carrying of weapons, citing “apprehension of wide spread disturbance to peace and tranquillity… and grave danger to human life and property because of the unlawful activities of some anti-social elements for furtherance of their evil designs”.

This comes days after a 31-year-old woman from the Hmar community, who was living in Jiribam, was killed in an attack on her village on Thursday.

A statement by a group called Hmar Village Volunteers (HVVs), representing armed Hmars engaged in the conflict, claimed that those killed on Monday were “village volunteers” who were “retaliating” against the woman’s killing.

“We understand that the proscribed Meitei terrorists and AT (armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol) are hiding in various parts of the Jiribam area, and are being sheltered by the local Meitei populace… The HVVs have no option but to retaliate…in self defence to protect our indigenous land and innocent people… We further reiterate that the HVVs are not in conflict with the central forces,” the statement said.

Jiribam is a small district with a mixed population in the western-most part of Manipur.

Groups in the Kuki-Zo majority districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi have called for a total shutdown in their areas on Tuesday in response to Monday’s incident.

Meanwhile, at least two persons sustained bullet injuries in separate attacks in Imphal East and Bishnupur districts.

In Imphal East, a 35-year-old man was injured when armed miscreants suspected to be Kuki militants attacked a group of farmers harvesting their crops at Yaingangpokpi, police said. The injured was identified as Rashok Horam, a Tangkhul Naga man, who is undergoing treatment at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences.

In a separate incident, a 38-year-old man, identified as Ningombam Chaoba, sustained a bullet injury on his back when he and a group of farmers were working in a paddy field at Litanpokpi in Bishnupur district. They were fired upon from the Dampi hill range, which falls under the jurisdiction of Churachandpur district, police said.