Manipur which has been grappling with ethnic tensions and witnessed large-scale violence last year, recorded a fresh round of violence on Sunday (1st September 2024). As per reports, on Sunday afternoon, armed insurgents opened indiscriminate fire and dropped a bomb on a house using a drone. In the attack, they fatally shot a 31-year-old Meitei woman and severely injured her 8-year-old daughter as well as three others. The assailants are suspected to be Kuki insurgents. Reportedly, one police commando was injured in the bombing incident.
The firing incident took place in Imphal West district which shares a border with the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district. According to officials, it all unfolded at around 2 PM near the border between Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts. Notably, Imphal West is dominated by the Meitei community while Kukis are a majority in Kangpokpi.
The deceased Meitei woman has been identified as Ngangbam Surbala. She was hit on her head while her 8-year-old daughter was hit in her right arm. The victims were at their homes when the firing and bombings began. It is said that the assailants opened fire from the nearby hills.
According to reports, a drone was used to drop a bomb which caused heavy damage to a house. However, no civilian was reportedly injured. It is said that the incident occurred at a place near a Border Security Force (BSF) station. One police commando, part of the reinforcement team, was hit by a splinter of a drone-dropped bomb.
Kadangband residents said that at least one drone dropped a “bomb” on a house in the area. They have also shared purported visuals of the drone dropping a bomb, while people were seen running to find cover for their safety. However, sources in the security forces said they are yet to look into this claim.
Following the firing and bomb blast incident, the body of the deceased woman was shifted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for post-mortem examination. Her daughter and police officer N Robert (30) were admitted to RIMS while two others are recuperating at Raj Medicity.
On Sunday, the Police said a woman was killed, and four others were injured when suspected militants launched a gun-and-bomb attack in Manipur’s Imphal West district.
According to police, the militants fired indiscriminately from hilltop positions towards the low-lying valley areas of Koutruk and neighbouring Kadangband. The Police added that the sudden assault on the unsuspecting village caused widespread panic, forcing many residents, including women, children, and the elderly, to flee to safer areas.
The Police further stated that security forces, including both state and central units, have been deployed to the area to stabilise the situation.
Not suspected insurgents but Kuk1s. Have the guts to name and shame them! https://t.co/cQZWkoAuru pic.twitter.com/giuamFXMHx
— Devika (@Deyveeka) September 1, 2024
Following the incidents, the Meitei community blamed the Kuki community. They have claimed that “Kuki terrorists” killed the Meitei woman and injured four others in the recent firing and bomb attack. However, social media users from the Kuki tribes alleged that the Meiteis began firing at Kuki villages in Kangpokpi first. It is pertinent to note that ethnic tensions between both communities had resulted in large-scale violence last year and tensions continue to prevail between both communities.
The incident comes a day after Kuki-Zo groups carried out protest rallies against Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the Kuki-Zo dominant districts of Kangpokpi and Churachandpur.
