Militants attack in Manipur, two people including a woman killed

Immediately after the militant attack, the Manipur Home Department stated in a statement that the state government has learned about the unfortunate incident of an attack on unarmed Kotrung villagers using drones, bombs, and many advanced weapons on Sunday. It is said that Kuki militants have taken the lives of two people and injured many others.

In Manipur’s valley area, two people, including a woman, were killed and nine others, including a police officer and the woman’s minor daughter, were injured in a firing incident by suspected militants on Sunday. Security forces have launched a search operation to catch the perpetrators. Manipur’s Director-General of Police Rajiv Singh said that heavily armed militants opened fire indiscriminately from a hilltop and threw bombs in the Kotrung and Kadangband areas of Imphal West district, resulting in the deaths. The deceased woman has been identified as Ngangbam Surbala Devi of the Meitei community, and her body has been sent for post-mortem to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). The injured, including the woman’s eight-year-old daughter and a police officer, have been admitted to RIMS and other hospitals.

When the firing started, the locals were in their homes. Many houses were damaged in the firing and bomb attacks. A large contingent of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel, along with state forces, reached the area and launched a search operation to catch the militants.

The Manipur Home Department stated in a statement that the state government has learned about the unfortunate incident of an attack on unarmed Kotrung villagers using drones, bombs, and many advanced weapons on Sunday. It is said that Kuki militants have taken the lives of two people and injured many others. “The government takes such acts of spreading terror among unarmed villagers very seriously, while the state government is making all possible efforts to establish normalcy and peace in the state.”

The Home Department’s statement stated that the Kuki militants’ act of creating chaos among unarmed villagers is seen as an attempt to disrupt the state government’s efforts to establish peace in the state. It is also said that such acts are strongly condemned.

The statement further stated that the state government had taken action to control the situation and punish those involved in the attack on Sunday in Kotrung village of Imphal West district. This is the second incident of murder in Manipur in a month. On August 11, a former legislator’s wife, Charubala Haokip (59), was killed in an explosion in Ekou Mulam of Kangpokpi district.

According to the police, Charubala Haokip (59), the wife of former legislator Yamthong Haokip (64), was seriously injured in the blast and was taken to the Saikul Community Health Centre, where she died. Charubala belongs to the Meitei community, while Yamthong belongs to the Kuki-Jo community.