6 Killed In Fresh Manipur Violence; Army Helicopters On Patrol

Imphal: Six people were killed following fresh violence in Manipur.

According to police, suspected Kuki insurgents attacked Nungchappi village in Manipur’s Jiribam district, 229 km from Imphal. A 63-year-old man lost his life.

A day earlier, a rocket-propelled bomb attack by Kuki rebels killed an elderly man at the home of late former chief minister Mairenbam Koireng and destroyed two structures in Bishnupur district’s Moirang town.

Five others were killed in a gunfight between armed groups of Meitei community and Kuki tribes, who call themselves ‘village defence volunteers’.

A police team led by the Jiribam SP rushed to the area, but were fired at. Police “retaliated strongly and controlled the firing”, a statement said.

Security forces have destroyed several bunkers in the foothills, police said.

Army helicopters have been tasked with keeping an eye on the ground as combing operations in suspected areas, in the hills and valley, are going on.

An anti-drone system is also in operation after suspected Kuki insurgents last week attacked villages in Imphal West district with weaponised drones for the first time since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur in May 2023.

Social media posts are also being monitored to catch instigators of violence, police informed.