6 missing, 2 bodies found the day after the attack on Jiribam camp | Latest News India

A day after security forces killed 10 armed militants who attacked a Central Reserve Police Force camp and tried to attack a police station in Manipur’s Jiribam district, the bodies of two civilians were found while six civilians went missing, officials said on Tuesday.

The two civilian victims were identified as Maibam Kesho Singh (75) and Laishram Barel (61) from Modhupur village in Jiribam district.. The six missing persons were three women, namely Y Rani Devi (60), T Thoibi Devi (31) and L Heitombi Devi (25), and three minor children from the same family.

“During a further search after yesterday’s incident, the bodies of two civilian IDPs (internally displaced persons) were found in Jakuradhor village,” inspector general of police (operations) IK Muivah said at a press conference at the state police headquarters in Imphal. “Police are now trying to trace the three women and three children who are missing.”

Inspector general of police (administration) K Jayenta Singh, who was present at the briefing, said three more civilians were rescued from Jiribam after Monday’s incident.

He also said that there were reports of firing in some adjoining areas of Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts and at some places on the orders of Imphal East and Kangpokpi.

Officers said that around 3 pm on Monday, Borobreka police station, where some IDPs were being housed, and a CRPF outpost in Jakuradhor were simultaneously attacked by armed militants with advanced weapons, including RPGs. The militants also set fire to some houses in the village. One of the two bodies found on Tuesday was found charred, indicating that one of the victims had been killed during an arson attack.

They added that civil police and CRPF retaliated and after about 45 minutes of exchange of fire, the area was searched and 10 bodies of armed militants were found. Police said that 3 AK rifles, 4 SLRs, 2 INSAS rifles, 1 RPG, 1 shotgun, bulletproof vest, helmet and magazines were seized from them.

Borobreka police station is located 30 km south of Jiribam district headquarters. The CRPF station is located around 500 meters away from the police station. Jiribam town is 220 km west of Imphal.

Hmar Inpui, the highest body of the Hmar tribe, claimed that the 10 Kuki people killed in the Jiribam attack were Hmar village volunteers. “Hmar village volunteers were performing their routine duties to protect and protect our ancestral lands and people in Jiribam. “When the group approached the CRPF camp, they lowered their weapons and their leaders interacted with the CRPF personnel,” he said. The statement claimed that the CRPF opened unprovoked fire from bullet-proof vehicles.

This was the biggest single-day toll of the year in Manipur amid 18 months of ethnic violence. In December 2023, at least 13 people were killed in armed clashes between the Kuki and Meitei groups in the Tengnoupal district of the state.

CRPF officer Sanjeev Kumar sustained bullet injuries and was taken to a hospital in Assam for treatment.

The violence in Manipur began on May 2, 2023, after Kuki groups called for a shutdown in protest against the Manipur high court order, asking the state government why scheduled tribal reservations could not be given to the majority Meiteis, most of whom live in the Imphal plains. So far, Kuki and other tribal groups living mostly in mountainous areas have been granted ST reservation.

Jiribam, which has a mixed population of Meiteis and Kukis, was relatively peaceful until May this year. However, after the body of a Meitei farmer was found near the CRPF camp on June 6, the area witnessed a series of violent clashes between the two communities.

Jiribam district administration imposed prohibitory orders after Monday’s incident.

Meanwhile, 13 non-governmental organisations, including women’s groups in Imphal, on Tuesday announced a 24-hour shutdown in the state and demanded urgent intervention from the government against the increasing violence. On November 9, a woman farmer working in a paddy field in Lailampat area of ​​Bishnupur district was shot dead, followed by the incident in Jiribam area on Monday.

Manipur police said in a statement that the situation in the state in the last 24 hours was tense but under control. Police also said social media accounts claiming militants were ambushed were false.

“The armed militants were not ambushed but were killed during retaliatory fire by security forces. The damage could have been much worse if security forces had not retaliated. “It was determined that the armed militants came from remote Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts and traveled a long distance to Jiribam district to plan/execute the attacks,” the statement said.

Sporadic incidents of violence continued to be reported from Manipur. Police said Kuki militants launched attacks at multiple locations using advanced weapons including bombs, improvised rockets and devices suspected of being launched from drones. At least three exploded IEDs were recovered from Kadangband, Phayeng and Kangchup in Imphal West district. Heavy gunfire was also heard in Thamnapokpi and Channung in Imphal East district, police said. No injuries reported.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Students Organization (KSO) on Tuesday issued a directive to all tribals not to cooperate with the CRPF and not to allow CRPF officials to leave their camps. “Any CRPF personnel found to be in violation of the notification shall do so at their own risk and responsibility,” the statement said.

Senior officials from all security forces held a meeting on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the delicate law and order situation in the state. “All forces have been told that our aim is not to ensure that there is no violence. They will act with moderation in their relations with both groups. “But at the same time, if the forces came under fire, they were told to respond appropriately,” he said.