As casualties mount in Manipur, CM Biren meets MLAs, calls on Governor

On Saturday, at least five people were killed after a gunbattle erupted between two armed groups following the killing of an elderly Meitei man in Manipur’s Jiribam district.

According to sources, some suspected “Kuki militants” barged into the home of 63-year-old Y Kulachandra in Ningthem Khunou, about 5 km from Jiribam police station at the district headquarters, on Saturday morning and shot him dead. The incident allegedly occurred at 5 am, when Kulachandra was still asleep.

A subsequent gunbattle between the armed assailants and another armed group in the Nungcheppi area led to the death of four armed Kuki men and an armed Meitei man, said police.

Following Saturday’s events, Chief Minister Singh led a meeting of ruling party MLAs – the BJP-led government in Manipur also includes MLAs from the Naga People’s Front, National People’s Party and the Janata Dal (United). According to an MLA, 24 legislators – including six cabinet ministers – attended the meeting. BJP MLA from Lamlai, Kh Ibomcha, said that a decision had been taken to pressure the Centre to “take up befitting actions to bring the militants under control”.

“With attacks taking place with sophisticated weapons, normalcy cannot be brought under these circumstances. So, it was discussed that we should put pressure on central leadership. Tomorrow, all the MLAs will meet the Governor to raise this,” he said.

A source from Manipur BJP said there were demands from various groups, including COCOMI (Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity), that the Centre should send more support to Manipur to protect its people from the escalated militant attacks.

“With the central government more focussed on bringing down the violence rather than addressing the political issues, the discussions that happened today were in that direction,” this source said.

Declaring a state of public emergency in Manipur, COCOMI gave an “ultimatum” to the central government, “demanding concrete action from the Indian Armed Forces to address the crisis within five days”. It threatened that “failing this, drastic steps will be taken by the people to protect themselves and the indigenous population, including the expulsion of central forces from Manipur”.

Saturday’s developments come a day after rocket attacks killed a man at the home of Manipur’s late chief minister Mairembam Koireng and destroyed two structures in Bishnupur district.

Official sources told The Indian Express that the Manipur police department is planning to purchase more equipment, including anti-drone systems, to counter such long-range rocket attacks.

According to these sources, since the drastic shift in the magnitude of the attacks, police departments have intensified search operations in the fringe areas, particularly concentrating on the areas where drones and rocket attacks were launched.

– With ENS Imphal