Police Outpost Torched, Houses Set On Fire In Manipur’s Jiribam

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New Delhi: Reports of violence surfaced once again from Manipur as suspected militants torched a police outpost and set fire to several houses in the Jiribam district of the state, officials told PTI. The militants torched the Jiri police outpost located in Chotobekra area on the banks of the Barak River at around 12.30 am on Saturday.

The suspects of the arson attack carried guns, and are likely to be militants from hill-based areas in Manipur. The militants also launched multiple attacks taking advantage of the darkness at Lamtai Khunou, Modhupur area of the district located nearly 220 km from the capital city of Imphal, the report added.

A district officer from Jiribam told PTI that several houses in the outlying areas of the district have been burnt, though the exact number cannot be confirmed yet. A commando contingent of Manipur Police has been airlifted to Jiribam on Saturday morning from Imphal to assist in the security operations against the militants, police said.

Congress MP-elect from the Inner Manipur seat Angomcha Bimol Akoijam appealed to the state government to protect the homes and lives of those living in the Jiribam district. Speaking to reporters, Akoijam said, “I have talked with district officials of Jiribam. They said some reinforcements have reached. While those in the town are being provided security, those in peripheral areas are not being provided security.”

Officials said on Saturday that nearly 239 people, mostly women and children, have been evacuated from their villages in Jiribam amid the ongoing violence that broke out after the killing of a man by militants. People are currently taking shelter in a sports complex in Jiri town.

On June 6, the Jiribam district administration imposed an indefinite curfew in the district following the killing of a 59-year-old man belonging to one community allegedly by militants belonging to another community.

Jiribam had till now remained unaffected by the violence in Manipur, which has been raging since May 2023. The ethnic violence between the Meiteis and Kukis has till now left 200 people dead, and thousands without a home.