Manipur Violence: Bodies Of 2 Missing Persons Found In Jiribam Amid Gunfight With Militants; Curfews And Shutdowns Enforced

Guwahati, November 12: Bodies of two elderly persons out of five missing were recovered on Tuesday morning in Manipur's Jiribam district. A gunfight between suspected militants and security forces broke out a day before where 10 militants were killed while two CRPF jawans were injured.

During a search operation for five missing persons, the bodies of Laishram Balen and Maibam Kesho were detected in debris in Jakuradhor Karong area where a few shops were set on fire by suspected militants on Monday. The Jiribam district administration imposed prohibitory orders to avoid any untoward incident in the area.

A shutdown has been observed since 5 am on Tuesday in Kuki-Zo majority areas in the hills to protest against killing of suspected insurgents in the gunfight with security personnel.

The Kuki-Zo Council called for a total shutdown in the hill areas of the state from 5 am to 6 pm on Tuesday to express their "collective grief and solidarity who were brutally shot dead".

Ten suspected militants were killed in the fierce gunfight with security forces on Monday after insurgents in camouflage uniforms, armed with sophisticated weapons, fired indiscriminately at a police station and an adjacent CRPF camp in Jiribam district.

Two CRPF personnel also sustained injuries during the heavy exchange of fire at Borobekra, and the condition of one of them was stated to be critical. The situation in Jiribam remained calm but tense on Tuesday morning with policemen patrolling at vulnerable points.

Following the incident, fresh violence was reported from multiple places in Imphal Valley where armed groups from the two warring sides engaged in exchanges of fire, the Manipur state police said. Locals and security forces recovered several improvised mortar shells in two villages of Imphal West district this morning, the official said.

Operations were continuing to flush out militants, and reinforcement teams consisting of Assam Rifles, CRPF have been deployed in disturbed areas, the officer added. Continuing the violence suspected Kuki militants launch armed assault and arson in Imphal West where two persons were injured.

Suspected Kuki militants launched an armed attack in the peripheral regions of Kangchup and Koutruk, injuring 2 individuals amidst the violence last night in Imphal West district.

The assailants, reportedly armed with heavy weaponry, allegedly fired indiscriminately toward residential areas, which lie on the boundary between Kangpokpi and Imphal West districts.

The chaos escalated further as militants set fire to numerous houses and shops in Kangchup Chingkhong, a locality near the Kangpokpi-Imphal West border.

The assault incited widespread fear and panic among the residents, compelling many to seek refuge in safer areas to protect themselves from potential harm.