An increasing number of armed Kuki militants are making their way into Jiribam in Manipur from various areas as they continue their ruthless attack to seize total control of the district that borders Assam. Kuki insurgents, who began their onslaught on 3rd May last year have resumed the operation after suspending it briefly for the Lok Sabha election. Many unverified alarming videos featuring the Kuki militants have also been making the rounds on social media. They can be seen brandishing weapons and marching into the region through land and water.
More and more #Kuki militants are approaching #Jiribam https://t.co/BLhoZDI8i2 pic.twitter.com/6cLMhNTP4A
— ꯆꯤꯡꯊꯧ (@chingthou) June 10, 2024
They have targeted the Hindu Meitei population of Jiribam in their attempt to acquire control of both the Jiribam district and NH 37 (the Imphal-Jiribam highway). On 6th June, they brutally killed 59-year-old farmer Soibam Saratkumar Singh, a Meitei civilian to begin their aggressive campaign in Jiribam. Furthermore, they also set fire to at least 72 Meitei homes and three police stations there. According to sources, an increasing number of Kuki militants are currently travelling toward Jiribam via land and sea channels with the terrifying goal of purging the region of Meiteis.
Motorboats transporting a significant contingent of Kuki insurgents with sophisticated weaponry have been spotted moving from Lakhimpur into Jiribam employing the Jiri and Barak rivers. Additionally, Kuki militants are camped in the Kuki-Zo villages including Moinathol and Bethel across the Barak River in the Cachar region of Assam. The sources revealed that they roam around various neighbourhoods of Jiribam during the night. According to various social media posts, multiple groups of Kuki militants have also been heading toward Jiribam along the Jiribam-Tipaimukh road.
Kuki insurgents have reportedly destroyed numerous important bridges, severely disrupting the area and endangering its connectivity. This has led to an upsurge in the expanding unrest in the Jiribam district. The Harinagar bridge was one of the targeted bridges, however, Assam Rifles troops intervened and repaired it right away. The Goakhal and Latingkhal bridges were also discovered to be dismantled by them. Moreover, they set fire to the Makhabosti Forest Beat adding to the growing list of strikes against the district’s infrastructure. The already precarious situation in Jiribam, which has observed a boom in violence in the wake of the recent general election result is being exacerbated by these nefarious acts of sabotage.
Meitei residents of villages some distance from the Jiribam district headquarters have left their homes and relocated to relief camps erected at the district headquarters after learning of the large number of Kuki militants continuing towards Jiribam from different directions. According to the sources, despite the Manipur government sending more state troops to Jiribam, no security arrangements have been made for the displaced people’s rehabilitation in their home villages as of yet.
Kuki militants ambush CM’s security convoy
10th June witnessed a significant spike in violence when Kuki militants ambushed Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s security convoy along National Highway 37 at T. Laijang, close to Kotlen village in the Kangpokpi district. 28-year-old escort driver Bobo, also known as Moirangthem Ajesh, from Thanga Ngaram in the Bishnupur region suffered injuries in the assault. He was admitted to the Shija Hospitals and Research Institute (SHRI) in Langol, Imphal.
A leaked video has surfaced from the Kuki_Hmar_Zo Community WhatsApp group, depicting the orchestrated attack on Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's convoy. The assailants, allegedly Kuki insurgents, targeted the convoy with meticulous planning and executed it with precision,… pic.twitter.com/iPriV8MRg8
— Mamang Gangte (@MangGangtae) June 10, 2024
The convoy was headed to Jiribam at roughly 10:50 am when the assault transpired, ahead of the chief minister’s scheduled visit to the volatile district on 11th June. The driver was shot in the right shoulder and was taken to the hospital around midday under strict security. Doctors stated that his condition was not critical. The incident happened soon after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh returned to Imphal in the afternoon following his attendance at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi on the evening of 9th June.
The objective of the visit to Jiribam was to address the rising violence levels and restore the district’s peace. A group of Manipur police, including members of the Commando unit, were sent to the spot immediately after the instance. Afterwards, a coordinated search and rescue effort was started with the help of the Assam Rifles to capture the attackers and ensure the area’s safety.
Furthermore, the insurgents also attacked numerous police outposts and set houses on fire when they arrived in three or four boats on a river in the Jiribam region of Manipur. The attack began at 12:30 am in Chotobekra, Jiribam on the banks of the Barak River. According to a police officer, the Jiribam district’s Lamtai Khunou, Dibong Khunou, Nunkhal and Begra villages are the most seriously impacted.
Another officer stationed at a police outpost (OP) in Borobekra, Jiribam subdivision, a little distance from Chotobekra reported that the militants started targeting the OP at about 2:30 in the morning. Many hamlets along the river were attacked by them, based on police sources. They also verified the footage featuring gleeful insurgents rejoicing and setting houses on fire.
Assam Rifles step in to rescue Meiteis
Tensions in Jiribam intensified after Soibam Saratkumar Singh’s body was uncovered on 6th June, per Assam Rifles. Miscreants burned a few homes, ruining the law and order in the neighbourhood. The Assam Rifles informed in a press release that it had taken important measures to protect the locals, put an end to vandalism and prevent the security situation from deteriorating worse. Assam Rifles also dispatched columns to different areas. The Assam Rifles and Manipur Police carried out intense cooperation and foiled an attempt by miscreants to steal firearms from the Jiribam Police Station.
The press announcement added that Assam Rifles guarded remote areas with residents in Phaitol and Raniveng, thwarting potential attacks. They were successful in rescuing 86 residents of Dibong Khunao, Raniveng and Monbung who belonged to both Meitei and Kuki communities. On 7th June, the next day, miscreants started shooting in the Raniveng sector of Jiribam at about 5:30 pm. Assam Rifles personnel promptly mobilized over the region and conducted operations to avert any further unfortunate incidents. Approximately 66 residents of the Kuki community were saved and securely evacuated during the operation. 237 Meitei residents from the villages of Lamdaikhunao and Monbung were also securely moved to an internally displaced personnel (IDP) camp earlier in the day.
On 7th June officials declared that over 239 Meitei people, mostly women and children were evacuated from Jiribam’s surrounding districts and taken to a newly created relief camp located at a multi-sports complex in the district. Prohibitory orders were placed in Jiribam when villagers, upset at the farmer’s killing, set a few abandoned structures on fire upon the retrieval of his body. In addition, locals demonstrated in front of the Jiribam Police Station, demanding the restoration of their legally owned weapons that had been impounded before the election.
In order to address the concerns of the local population and to reaffirm the steps being taken to maintain peace and order in the area, the Assam Rifles, in cooperation with the civil administration, State Police, CRPF, and other security forces also organized a security meeting in Jiribam. The goal of the cooperative meeting which included leaders from the community and a range of stakeholders, was to foster collaboration and confidence between the inhabitants and the security personnel. The press release affirmed, “The Assam Rifles remain committed to the safety and security of the people of Manipur and will continue to take proactive steps to maintain peace and uphold the rule of law. The swift actions of Assam Rifles were instrumental in mitigating further damage and loss of life despite the challenging conditions and roadblocks set up by miscreants.”
Jiribam is Rongmei Naga ancestral land: Rongmei Naga Student’s Organisation Manipur (RNSOM)
Meanwhile, the Rongmei Naga Student’s Organization Manipur (RNSOM) opposed the call made by Kuki organizations for a 24-hour closure which commenced at midnight on 10th June. The former asserted that there would not be a complete shutdown along the NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam Road) in Rongmei Naga territory. The RNSOM in a statement announced that the Kuki Women Union Moltam Region, Kuki Students Organization South West Sadar Hills and Kuki Inpi South West Sadar Hills have all demanded the closure of Kuki-dominated areas along NH-37.
On the other hand, the RNSOM affirmed that the whole region from Imphal to Jiribam is the ancestral land of the Rongmei Naga, in spite of claims expressed by the Kukis, whom they referred to as “new settlers.” Jeanthui Panmei, General Secretary of RNSOM pointed out, “We remind every community once again that the whole stretch of land from Imphal to Jiribam is Rongmei Naga ancestral land, despite the claims made by the Kukis, who are recent settlers. Any untoward incidents arising from this shutdown will be the responsibility of the Kuki community.”
According to the RNSOM, NH-37 is a key lifeline for the area, passing through the centre of Rongmei land, which belongs to all the groups that reside in and around Manipur. They emphasized that no group should be allowed to use the highway as a platform for terrorism and denounced the shutdown as unjustified. The RNSOM vehemently declared that NH-37 cannot be used as a venue for any terrorist act, past, present, or future, by any group or individual.
The group also criticized the recent “barbaric indiscriminate attack” by Kuki militants that targeted state police and the security personnel of the chief minister along NH-37. They issued a warning that attacking communities that value peace while serving in the armed forces could set off a chain reaction of events and be viewed as an “open invitation to join the fights.”
Declare Kuki community as a criminal tribe: Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC)
Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) blamed Kuki militants for the fresh turmoil in the state. According to a press release from MIYC, Kuki militants are working with central security forces to form another “Kuki Occupied Manipur” in Jiribam. They demanded that the Kuki people be designated as a criminal tribe due to their involvement in hostilities in Bangladesh as well as Manipur.
Although armed Kukis attacked Meitei homes and residents on 3rd May last year, resulting in widespread bloodshed throughout the state, Jiribam had managed to maintain the calm after a Peace Committee was established on 5th May of the same year. According to MIYC, Jiribam was peaceful until 5th June 2024. However, the murder of Soibam Saratkumar Singh destroyed it. Two police outposts, a forest beat office, and more than eighty Meitei houses were set on fire in the aftermath. MIYC condemned the state and central security forces for their passivity throughout these incidents. It charged that by funding a campaign of terrorism, the central government was using the Kuki community as a front in a proxy war in Manipur.
It alleged that the restoration of the same government to the centre is correlated with the resurgence of violence. Furthermore, MIYC highlighted remarks made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh who cautioned of a larger geopolitical plot to destabilize Bangladesh, Myanmar and several northeastern Indian states, including Manipur, to create a Christian state. She had urged India to act wisely against Kuki militants rather than aiding them. According to Sheikh Hasina’s remark, the Indian government is using Kuki terrorists to further its geopolitical goals in Myanmar, repress the Meitei people and erase Manipur’s historical relevance as a strong sovereign state in Southeast Asia, MIYC argued.
Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) demands terrorist tag for armed Kuki groups
The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) demanded that all armed Kuki groups be designated as terrorist outfits in response to the attack that armed Kuki groups pulled off on the chief minister’s advance security convoy en route to Jiribam, which resulted in the injuries of two security personnel. The occurrence, according to a release from COCOMI media coordinator Y Surjitkumar Khuman, illustrated the growing tension between the state administration and Kuki terrorist organizations, which is rendered worse by the alleged complicity of Indian central security forces.
COCOMI voiced that their inaction in the face of such an overt attack on state apparatus is quite concerning and opined that the ongoing war, which was initially mislabeled as communal violence, is clearly an act of targeted aggression by Kuki terrorist groups against the state administration. Surjitkumar stated that Kuki propagandists have made a concentrated effort to portray the violence as a communal matter since the first attacks on Meitei individuals in Churachandpur and Torbung Kangvai on 3rd May. However, he claimed that these actions were calculated manoeuvres by Kuki narco-terrorists to topple the state government.
He accused that the authority of the government has been undermined in addition to jeopardizing the safety of its residents due to the central government’s indifference during these attacks. He noted that the Indian state’s tacit support for the Kuki groups against the interests of their own state government was indicated by the central forces’ failure to aid state forces in reprisal or defence against these attacks, which fueled further violence and instability. Surjitkumar sought a thorough inquiry into the alleged protection and complicity of Indian security personnel with Kuki terrorist groups and called for the government of India to act decisively and immediately to handle the problem.
Manipur government alerted thrice in January about Jiribam threats
Three letters from the state government to the Director General of Police (DGP) had been sent almost six months before Kuki-Zo militants assaulted villages and police outposts in Manipur’s Jiribam district, reported NDTV. The letters asked the senior official to increase security and take action against any threat. According to the letters, the state government urged the DGP on multiple occasions to maintain strict security in Jiribam and anticipate threats from the Kuki-Zo insurgents. However, recent attacks and the exodus of residents from Jiribam especially the Meitei community suggest that the government’s intelligence reports have not been implemented.
The first letter which was written on 15th January read, “It has been reported that about 200 armed Kuki-Zo militants have moved from Churachandpur and reached Phaitol village, Old and New Kaiphundai area of Tamenglong district bordering Jiribam district.” The DGP was instructed by the state administration to react to any threat and take action to stop violence. The state administration requested that the top cop take “effective counter-measures” in the second letter, which was written on 27th January, including soliciting the aid of the central forces.
The letter, which made reference to shooting incidents that were reported on 31st December 2023 as well as 1st and 21st January mentioned, “Considering reports of movement of armed miscreants from Churachandpur towards Vangai Range bordering areas Jiribam, Director General of Police is requested to take adequate measures to pre-empt spread of the current law and order situation to Jiribam district and to take up effective counter-measures including domination of strategic locations using central/state forces.” In the same letter, the state administration stated that “the ITLF is reportedly considering cutting off supply lines to Imphal valley via Jiribam,” alluding to the Kuki-Zo organization Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF).
The third letter, dated 31st January, was composed by the state government to the DGP and the Security Adviser alerting them to a potential effort to pilfer weapons and ammunition from the 7 India Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Jiribam. The letters came to light after the state government provided multiple inputs almost six months prior regarding the likelihood of an insurgent attack in Jiribam, and the Biren Singh government asked for a police report explaining why villages were attacked by these groups.
Chief Minister not part of the unified command
According to government sources, the chief minister was not included in the unified command which had elements from both state and central forces that was established in May of last year following the start of ethnic conflict. Government sources noted that the set-up should have deterred the 200 Kuki-Zo militants from heading toward the highlands that border Jiribam.
The ambush of the police convoy and the attack on Meitei villages in Jiribam, according to government sources, bore clear similarities to the strategies employed by suspected Kuki militants in the trading town of Moreh, which borders Myanmar. In addition to targeting police in the border town itself, the insurgents then assaulted Manipur Police convoys travelling from Imphal to Moreh.
On 17th April, the United Kuki National Army (UKNA), a little-known militant group, took responsibility for the attack on civilian fuel trucks on National Highway 37 which happened a day earlier. A truck driver was wounded and the tankers leaked oil and gas. The UKNA described the assault as the “first offensive operation” against the supply of necessities and “weaponry” to Meiteis in a statement delivered to the media.
The UKNA is not a party to the tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) agreement, which is a form of ceasefire signed between over two dozen Kuki-Zo insurgent groups, the centre, and the state. On 5th May 5, UKNA camp commander Thangminlal Haokip was shot and killed by his own security in the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district.
Now, about 150 police commandos were airlifted to Jiribam by the state government in response to the recent threat. Six flights were undertaken by the helicopter to transport the commandos between Imphal and Jiribam. Meanwhile, a school in Jiribam is now home to around 400 Meitei community members, with some moving to Assam which is nearby. Moreover, at least 200 Kuki tribe members have sought refuge in Assam and at least 800 persons are now taking shelter in the state’s Cachar district.
Jiribam, which is 220 kilometres from Imphal, has 43,838 residents as of the 2011 census. Although Meiteis make up a large portion of the population, the district is home to other communities as well. The district of Jiribam is bordered by the Assam districts of Cachar, Pherzawl and Tousem sub-divisions of Tamenglong. The territory is drained by the Jiri and Barak Rivers. The Jiribam district serves as Manipur’s entry point to the West, and the Imphal-Jiribam highway is currently the sole route that can be relied upon for the reliable transit of necessities, especially in the Imphal valley. Notably, Jiribam, home to Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis and non-Manipuris, had previously remained unaffected by the ethnic strife.
