Imphal: With four more people killed by “unknown armed miscreants” in Bishnupur district Thursday, the death toll in the fresh outbreak of violence in Manipur has risen to seven. Among them were two police personnel killed in Moreh and a village volunteer killed in a gunfight with armed militants in Imphal West the previous day.
According to a press statement issued by the Manipur Police, the killings Thursday took place at Ningthoukhong Kha-Khunou, about 42 km from Imphal.
The deceased have been identified as Thiyam Somen Singh (50), Ningthoujam Nabadip Meitei (38), Oinam Bamoljao Singh (63) and his son Oinam Manitomba Singh (32) — all residents of Ward-4 in Ningthoukhong Kha-Khunou. Their bodies have been brought to the mortuary of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal.
The statement added that the “dead body of an individual suspected to be killed in exchange of fire between armed miscreants in the intervening night of 17 and 18 January was recovered from Bunker Hills near Kangchup Chingkhong” Thursday.
Protests continued in Imphal and adjoining areas over the law and order situation in parts of Manipur, triggered by the killings of two on-duty police personnel in Moreh in Tengnoupal district. On Thursday, hundreds of volunteers affiliated with the ‘Youth of Manipur’ took to the streets near the state secretariat here to appeal for action against the perpetrators.
They also demanded the ouster of Kuldiep Singh, the former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) director-general who was made in charge of the inter-agency unified command and appointed security adviser to the state government last June. Protesters further demanded that the unified command be put under the control of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
At Yaiskul in Imphal city, Manipur Police resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse protesters.
Meanwhile, air assets in the form of helicopters reached Imphal Thursday. In light of the law and order situation in Moreh, the state home department had requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to deploy air assets in Imphal “immediately from 17 January onwards for at least (for) a period of seven days to meet the emergency requirements”.
Sources in the state security apparatus told ThePrint that some high-ranking officers of the Assam Rifles also arrived in Moreh to take stock of the situation.
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‘Kuki militants started firing at commandos’
Addressing a press conference in Imphal Thursday evening, chief of the unified command Kuldiep Singh briefed the media on the fallout of the attacks in Moreh and the steps taken to maintain law and order.
Intelligence was received earlier about possible attacks against state forces by insurgents operating in Moreh, including “some reinforcements from Burma (Myanmar) side”, he said. Talking about the firefight in Moreh the previous day, Singh added that a “large number of Kuki militants started firing at commando forces at three locations in Moreh”.
“State forces were prepared and attacks were coming from far-off areas. Yesterday, it started coming from nearby areas. Assam Rifles along with Manipur Police commandos and Border Security Force did try their best to thwart the attempts, but one commando of 6 Manipur Rifles got a head injury, and was declared brought-dead at the Assam Rifles campus.”
Elaborating on how security forces engaged with the insurgents till late in the evening, he told reporters: “Forces kept on firing and towards the afternoon, another boy of 10 IRB was hit when trying to come out of his vehicle. Three more personnel were injured.”
Soon after these incidents came to light, additional forces were rushed to tackle the situation, he said, adding, “As attempts were made only on commandos, they were running short of ammunition which was shared by Assam Rifles and BSF. Later, by evening, all forces combined together and launched a massive attack against insurgents who were pushed back.”
Singh also said that reinforcements sent to Moreh included two companies of the BSF and two columns of the CRPF, along with four Casspir or mine-protection vehicles. “This morning, all four Casspirs and one company of BSF, two columns of Army have been sent by road and have reached Moreh. One more helicopter was requisitioned from MHA and IAF carried out more than 4-5 sorties since early morning 6 am,” he added.
Manipur violence: Curfew in Thoubal, internet services snapped
In another development, a village volunteer caught in the crossfire between local residents and armed miscreants at Kangchup in Imphal West district died late Wednesday evening. The deceased has been identified as Takhelambam Manoranjan from Thiyam Konjil village.
That same evening, a large crowd from Khangabok, Wangjing and Thoubal stormed the office of the superintendent of police, Thoubal, demanding deployment of state police personnel at Moreh.
“…the mob attempted to breach Thoubal Police Headquarters, prompting the security forces to use legal force. Armed miscreants from among the mob fired with live rounds. As a result, 3 personnel from BSF sustained bullet injuries…” the Manipur Police said in a statement. It added that the injured have been evacuated to Raj Medicity in Imphal West.
Today (17.01.2024), an irate mob targeted the 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion (3IRB) in Khangabok, Thoubal District. Security forces repelled them using the minimum necessary force. Further, the mob attempted to breach Thoubal Police Headquarters, prompting the security forces to…
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) January 17, 2024
In light of these developments, the deputy commissioner of Thoubal Wednesday ordered that curfew be imposed in the district with immediate effect.
Back in Moreh, authorities were able to identify the second police officer who was killed in the attack by “armed militants” Wednesday as special commando Takhellambam Sieleshwor Singh of the 10th IRB. Singh was a resident of Akham village in Imphal West District.
Six police personnel who sustained injuries in the attack are riflemen Md. Kamal Hassan, Songsuathui Aimol and Md. Abdul Hasim of 3rd IRB, constable Ngasepam Vim of 8th IRB (special commando), assistant sub-inspector Sidarth Thokchom of 8th IRB (special commando) and rifleman K, Premananda of 1st IRB (Special Commando).
CM N. Biren Singh visited the Raj Medicity Hospital in Imphal in the early hours of Thursday to meet the injured personnel.
Under an order issued Wednesday, internet services were suspended for another 15 days along 2-km stretches between Chandel and Kakching, Churachandpur and Bishnupur, Churachandpur and Kakching, Kangpokpi and Imphal West, Kangpokpi and Imphal East, Kangpokpi and Thoubal, and Tengnoupal and Kakching districts.
Meanwhile, questioning the government’s commitment to peace and human rights, a Kuki-Zo civil society organisation, the Zo United, demanded that the Manipur government “reconsider its approach and withdraw all its Meitei state forces from Moreh”.
“For peace to prevail it is paramount for the Manipur government to withdraw its state forces from Moreh, as their presence is a source of violence and fear among the inhabitants….The Kuki-Zo people, with nowhere to run, find themselves fighting for their land and survival against what they perceive as unwarranted aggression,” read a statement issued by the organisation Thursday.
Further, the organisation supported the joint condemnation issued by the two CSOs Tuesday — the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and Committee On Tribal Unity (COTU) — over the detention of “two Kuki-Zo civilians” in Moreh by the Manipur Police and demanded their release.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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