CRPF Soldier Killed In Attack By "Suspected Kuki Insurgents" In Manipur's Jiribam: Police

A soldier of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed in action after a joint patrol with the state police was ambushed by "suspected Kuki insurgents" in Manipur's Jiribam district, the police said in a statement today. Two police commandos were injured, the police said.

The police said the joint patrol came under heavy fire from the suspected insurgents in the district bordering Assam. The CRPF soldier was inside a patrol SUV when the suspected insurgents opened fire.

Visuals of the ambush site shows the SUV with several bullet holes and a shattered rear windshield. Two police commandos who were inside the vehicle were also hit.

"We returned effective fire. The insurgents took cover of the forest and ran away. A combing operation is going on," a senior police officer told NDTV on phone from Jiribam, 220 km from the state capital Imphal.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in a post on X condemned the attack by who he called "suspected Kuki militants".

Before today's ambush, tension in Jiribam had been high in recent weeks following clashes between the Meitei community and the Hmar tribes.

The district didn't see violence for over a year since Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes began in May 2023; however, clashes erupted in Jiribam last month, forcing over a thousand people from both the communities to live in relief camps, some in neighbouring Assam.

Civil Society Groups Face-Off

Kuki civil society groups alleged Meitei insurgents have been attacking their villages in Jiribam.

The Kuki Inpi in a statement today said the only solution to the ongoing conflict is to grant the Kuki-Zo tribes a separate administration. "We have been observing the precarious situation and the rationality of the central government where we are being cornered as though the Meiteis and its associates are above the law. It would be a shame on the Indian government to fail to protect the lives and rights of the minorities as the largest democracy in the world," the Kuki Inpi said in the statement signed by Jangminthang Singson, Khupneh Dimngel, Boisy Singson and Paominngam Haokip.

Meitei groups have refuted the allegations, and said nearly a dozen Kuki-Zo insurgent groups that have signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement have been attacking civilians and security forces in violation of ground rules.

"We are shocked to see some Kuki groups blaming the death of the CRPF jawan on the action by the security forces against them. This is an insult to the sacrifice of the soldier who was killed in the cowardly attack by suspected Kuki militants, which also left three policemen," the Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) said in a statement today.

"The SoO agreement must be scrapped to allow security forces to effectively counter these militant activities and restore peace in the region. The MHS calls upon the government to prioritise the safety and security of its citizens and take all necessary steps to bring those responsible for these killings to justice," the MHS said.

Manipur's second lifeline National Highway 37 which connects Imphal with Assam's Cachar passes through Jiribam. The other lifeline that connects Manipur with the rest of the country is National Highway 2, which remains blocked in Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district. This highway goes to Assam via Nagaland. The Kuki tribes also allege the Meitei community has blocked all essential items and cargo trucks from going to the hill areas where they live.

The ethnic violence between the valley-dominant Meitei community and nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis - a term given by the British in colonial times - who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

Armed people on both sides call themselves "village defence volunteers", a definition of the belligerents that has become the most controversial since nothing stops these "volunteers" from killing people under the insurance provided by "in self-defence".

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the nearly two dozen tribes that share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar's Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administrative carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.