As many as five civilians belonging to the Meitei community were killed and four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel sustained injuries in two separate incidents of violence that erupted in Manipur on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. State Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh said there is a possibility of the involvement of Myanmar-based militants, but there is “no evidence” yet.
The incident comes a day after two police personnel were killed and six others injured in an attack by armed assailants in Tengnoupal on Wednesday morning.
Senior police officials noted that four persons were killed by armed miscreants at Ningthong Kha Khunou in Bishnupur district around 2:00 pm on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Ningthoujam Nabadeep (40), Oinam Bamonjao (63), Oinam Manitomba (37) and Thiyam Somen (56).
“Four persons were killed in an attack by armed miscreants on Thursday afternoon. We have managed to recover all the bodies and sent them to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal for postmortem and other formalities,” Meghachandra Singh, Bishnupur superintendent of police was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.
The villagers were reportedly tiling a farm when they were attacked. Protests were carried out in several parts of the northeastern state throughout Thursday. According to an Indian Express report, ahead of Wednesday’s attack on the police personnel in Moreh town, an intelligence report had suggested that insurgents, including “reinforcement from Burma”, could attack security forces.
In a separate incident, a 23-year-old Meitei identified as Takhelambam Manoranjana was killed in a gunfight that broke out between armed village volunteers at Kangchup in Imphal West district.
Police noted that the body of a person “suspected to be killed in an exchange of fire between armed miscreants” late Wednesday night was recovered in Kangchup.
In addition to the incidents of violence, miscreants also attempted to loot weapons from police establishments in the Thoubal district of the valley on Wednesday night, and three BSF personnel sustained bullet injuries during the encounter. The mobs targeted the 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion in Thoubal’s Khangabok and Thoubal Police Headquarters.
Manipur Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh stated that there had been some intelligence reports about “insurgents operating at Moreh”.
“Since yesterday (Wednesday) morning, a large number of Kuki militants started firing at police commandos in three locations in Moreh. There was an intelligence report from before that the PDF insurgents operating at Moreh, and maybe some reinforcements from the Burma side, also may attack state forces,” Singh was quoted by Indian Express as saying.
“Intelligence was there from a few days, because Kuki Inpi and the CSOs (civil society organisations) and so many other people were coming to the security locations in Moreh and they were saying that the CDOs (commandos) should be removed from there. If CDOs are not moved, the CDOs would be targeted, (the groups said),” he added.
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