In the wake of terror attacks in Jiribam district, Manipur on Monday, Kuki militants killed two elderly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were staying in Borobekera relief camps while six individuals, including three minors, remain missing. However, five individuals have been rescued.
The deceased IDPs have been identified as Maibam Kesho, 75, and Laishram Barel, 61, both from Modhupur. Several houses were also damaged and burned down in the attack.
Senior police officer Jayenta, in a media briefing at Police Headquarters on Tuesday, stated that the weapons seized from the armed miscreants who used them during the heavy exchange of gunfire in Jiribam could not be attributed to village volunteers. An investigation is underway to identify the militant groups involved, he said.
He questioned how can the militants who attack civilians be called as village volunteers. They have been brutally attacking the Meitei villages while the village defense volunteers struggled to protect their own. This remains a major concern in the minds of the people, he said.
Recalling Monday’s incident, he said that around 2.30 to 3 pm, the Borobekera Police Station, where internally displaced persons are housed in a camp and the nearby CRPF post at Jakuradhor in Jiribam district, were simultaneously attacked by militants using sophisticated weapons, including RPGs and automatic firearms.
“The civil police and CRPF retaliated strongly, leading to a heavy exchange of gunfire for 40-45 minutes. Once the situation was brought under control, a search of the area revealed the bodies of 10 armed militants, along with weapons and ammunition, including three AK rifles, four SLRs, two INSAS rifles, one RPG, a pump-action shotgun, bulletproof helmets, and magazines,” Jayenta said.
During further searches in Jakuradhor village, which had been burned down by the militants, two deceased IDPs were found. One was partially burned, he said.
The police officer added that one person was found alive and rescued, while another civilian IDP returned on his own to the Jiribam Police Station. District police, along with central forces, are continuing rescue operations for the six missing individuals, including three women and three minors.
Two separate criminal cases have been registered for investigation, he said.
The officer further warned, “The civil police will retaliate as necessary if they are attacked.”
Responding to media inquiries, IGP (Ops) IK Muivah said, “The security forces and Manipur police are working under the guidance of the Government of India. We are operating with restraint and fairness, especially in this critical situation.”
This was in response to a warning from the Kuki Students’ Organisation, which stated that state forces should not operate in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas or leave their camps.
Meanwhile, the Hmar Inpui, the apex body of the Hmar tribe, claimed that the 10 Kuki militants killed in the Jiribam terror attack were Hmar Village Volunteers.
“Hmar Village Volunteers were performing their routine duty to protect and safeguard our ancestral land and people in Jiribam. As they approached the CRPF camp, they lowered their weapons, and their leader interacted with the CRPF personnel,” the group said.
“…but a bulletproof CRPF vehicle suddenly opened fire on the volunteers,” it added.
Despite the escalating situation in Manipur, including continuous terror attacks by Kuki militants over the past five days, Chief Minister N Biren Singh and state legislators have not commented on the series of incidents.
