Imphal, May 12: A shootout between suspected Kuki militants and security forces in Manipur’s Bishnupur district resulted in the death of one Manipur police commando and injuries to five others. This incident came after another gunfight in Imphal East district left one Assam Rifles personnel injured.
The fresh firing occurred in Tronglaobi while a police team was patrolling the area. Reports suggest that the police team, which was travelling on a vehicle, came under indiscriminate firing by the suspected militants, killing one policeman on the spot and injuring five others. The injured were then shifted to different hospitals in Imphal.
According to the Manipur Education Minister, the shootout occurred around 7 am, and there could be casualties on the militant side also.
The Manipur Police and Assam Rifles have started the inspection of designated camps of militants under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement after taking serious note of the repeated firing between armed miscreants and security forces in the peripheral areas of Imphal.
“The state force and Assam Rifles have started inspection of camps set up under the SoO. The verification process for armed men kept in their camps has also started,” said Manipur Education Minister Th Basanta Singh.
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Additionally, in a separate incident, three Meitei villagers were reportedly abducted by armed miscreants on Thursday morning at Torbung Bangla in Bishnupur district. The villagers, who had been staying at a relief camp in Moirang, went to their village, Torbung Bangla, to get supplies when they were abducted.
The situation in Manipur has been relatively calm in the capital city of Imphal, where curfew restrictions were lifted for seven hours from 5 am to 12 noon on Thursday.
However, around 180 Imphal-bound goods-laden trucks were forced to return from the Kangpokpi district towards the Senapati district after a large number of people blocked the Kangpokpi stretch of National Highway-2.
Kangpokpi, about 43 km away from Manipur’s capital Imphal, is a Kuki-dominated district. The irate mobs at Kangpokpi town also burnt down a car along the highway, according to an official report.
Minister Th Basanta said the “overall situation” in the state has improved significantly except for the sporadic incidents of violence. “The situation is almost under control with the successful deployment of troops in sensitive areas. Security forces are constantly working on area domination, flag march, aerial survey among others,” he said.
The state of Manipur has been facing insurgency and militancy issues for decades, and it remains a sensitive area in terms of security and law enforcement. Incidents such as these highlight the ongoing challenges faced by the security forces and the need for a sustained effort to maintain peace and stability in the region.
