In Manipur’s Jiribam district, a deadly encounter between suspected Kuki insurgents and security forces resulted in the deaths of at least 10 suspected militants.
The clash began when the insurgents launched a heavy, two-sided attack on a local police station, according to sources. A CRPF soldier was injured in the confrontation and subsequently taken to Silchar Medical College in Assam for treatment.
Sources report that the insurgents may have arrived in autorickshaws and attempted to target a nearby relief camp housing internally displaced individuals.
After attacking the police station in Borobekra - an area hit multiple times in recent months - the assailants reportedly moved toward the nearby settlement of Jakurador Karong, where they set homes ablaze and engaged in continued gunfire with security forces. The CRPF sent reinforcements to the area in response to the assault.
Kuki civil society groups responded by calling for a shutdown in Kuki-majority areas, referring to those killed as “village volunteers.” Security forces recovered rocket-propelled grenades and AK-series assault rifles at the site, despite both sides claiming their “village volunteers” only use licensed single-barrel firearms.
The violence in Jiribam has been mounting, especially following last week’s killing of a woman from the Hmar tribe by alleged Meitei insurgents, an attack that also involved arson. Her husband’s police report claimed she was assaulted before her death. In a subsequent incident, a Meitei woman was shot dead by suspected Kuki insurgents while working in a paddy field, further escalating local tensions.
Amid harvest season, these attacks have made farmers reluctant to work in their fields, fueling concerns over food security. This morning, suspected Kuki insurgents fired on a farmer in Imphal East, leaving him injured.
The CRPF, India’s largest Central Armed Police Force, has been instrumental in anti-insurgency operations across the country. Recently, Kuki tribes protested the central government’s decision to redeploy two Assam Rifles battalions from Manipur to Jammu and Kashmir, a move they believe has impacted regional security.