On 7th September, a large search and rescue effort to find Kuki terrorists was underway in Manipur a day after fresh violence in the Jiribam district claimed the lives of at least six people due to drone and rocket assaults. The security authorities also found large weapon caches in a huge gun haul in the state, which has been roiled since the ethnic conflict started in May of last year. Intense shooting broke out between different factions at the Rashidpur Part-II Tea Estate, in the Jiribam district, after the attack.
Law enforcement reacted swiftly but was met with resistance. They opened fire in response during the ensuing altercation and were eventually able to take control of the situation. Five bodies were found at the scene of the altercation by authorities after they had secured the area after which three of them were revealed to be Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) terrorists and one was a volunteer from the hamlet who was believed to have triggered the attack.
In c/w the case of 06.09.2024, suspected Kuki militants had attacked Nungchappi village under Jiribam District resulting in death of 01 (one) senior citizen civilian identified as Yurembam Kulendra Singha (63) yrs S/O. (L) Y. Ramohon Singha of Rangar Part-I, Cachar, Assam, who…
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) September 8, 2024
The bodies were identified as Seiminlen Khongsai, son of Thangtinngam Khongsai from Sijang Village, Churachandpur, Haogoulen Doungel (31), son of Holmang Doungel from Yangnomphai Village, Churachandpur and Nehboithang Haokip (26), son of Tongjam Haokip from Moajang Village, Churachandpur. All three were from KLA while Lhunkhohao Haokip (31), son of Hemtinthang Haokip from Mongbung Sejang, Jairolpokpi, Jiribam was the volunteer. Baspatimayum Lakhi Kumar Sharma (41), a native of Dibong Khunou, Jiribam district, and a member of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF-P), was identified as the fifth body. Yurembam Kulendra Singha (63), a native of Rangar Part-I, Cachar, Assam who was staying in Ningthem Khunou (Nungchappi), Jiribam also lost his life which led to the gun battle between the two sides.
Three of the assailants, according to the authorities, covered a long distance from Churachandpur District to Jiribam to carry out the brutal operation. One MA-1 Rifle, two MA-1 magazines, twenty-four 7.62 (SLR) empty cases, eight 7.62 (AK) empty cases, seven 5.56 (INSAS) empty cases, one 30-06 empty cases, one .303 empty case, five 5.56 live rounds, one twelve bore ammunition (empty case), one INSAS magazine (broken), one raincoat, one camouflage t-shirt, three magazine pouches were recovered from the location.
Meanwhile, on 8th September Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh visited Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at Rajya Bhavan for the second time in less than a day and sought targetted assaults on bases of Kuki terrorists which are situated in the hills, according to media reports. He reportedly informed the governor that a “professional approach” was necessary to address the current problem, which has grown more severe by the drone attack in Imphal West on 1st September and more “subject experts” needed to be involved.
He met with the Governor behind closed doors along with many (National Democratic Alliance) NDA ministers and MLAs. During the meeting, he also delivered a document to the governor. Drone attacks and gunfights have killed at least nine Meitei and Kuki-Zo community members, including a woman, since 1st September. The chief minister’s son-in-law and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh, wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 2nd September stating that the centre “has to hand over” unified command to the state because the “current set up isn’t able to halt such violence.”
Background of the fresh conflict
A drone attack by Kuki terrorists on the morning of 6th September resulted in increased hostility in the Bishnupur region of Manipur. Rockets were shot from the Churachandpur district’s hilly regions towards the village of Tronglaobi, which is located roughly 45 kilometres from Imphal, according to police reports. Two buildings, a community hall and an empty room were damaged by the rockets, which took the life of a priest and injured five others. The Kuki terrorists then brutally murdered an elderly man from the Meitei community, in the Jiribam district.
They were fired from a distance of more than three kilometres. The concerns of the locals spiked when they observed several drones flying low above Kumbi hamlet, which is close to Tronglaobi, on the night of 5th September. The rocket assaults were swiftly followed by severe fire exchange by the security troops, reported from the Bishnupur district. The Manipur Police stated that suspected Kuki terrorists were responsible for the strikes, which marked the first time in Indian history that weaponized drones had been used by suspected insurgents to drop bombs on innocent targets.
One person was killed when such projectiles were fired at Moirang Mairenbam Leikai in the same district in the afternoon when a missile detonated at the late Mairenbam Koireng’s house, former chief minister of the state. An eyewitness named Mairenbam Kelvin unveiled that R K Rabei Singh (70) was instantly killed when the rocket struck the wall of the residence and burst. According to him, the incident happened while the late former chief minister’s family was preparing for a funeral service for a family member. Five others were wounded in the assault.
On 1st September, a week earlier, Kuki terrorists used drones to drop rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) on security personnel and civilians in the Koutruk region in a different instance that happened in Imphal West. These attacks appear to have involved highly skilled personnel with access to cutting-edge technology, as evidenced by the employment of sophisticated drones. A as result, a woman was slain and numerous others, including children and security personnel, were injured. Three civilians were injured in a similar bomb attack using drones at Senjam Chirang Maning Leikai in Imphal West district.
“The CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) has also tested an anti-drone system and given it to the force deployed in the State. Some more anti-drone guns are being brought to the State by the CRPF shortly. The State police have also started the process for procurement of an anti-drone system to enhance its security measures and tackle threats from drones effectively,” a police statement read.
The chief minister’s convoy stopped on 2nd September, the day following the drone assault, as he was travelling to Koutruk and Senjam Chirang in Imphal West to meet with another woman who had been hurt in the attack. He reportedly received a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah informing him to leave the area since his presence might have led to more assaults. 92 checkpoints have been installed in Manipur’s districts, both in the valley and the hills. 129 people have been taken into custody by the police thus far for violations in various state districts.
Notably, since May of last year, ethnic conflict between the Meiteis, who live in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo, who live in the nearby hills, has resulted in over 200 deaths and thousands of homeless people.
