Kuki militants attack Meitei villages, 16 hurt
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 02 2023: Notwithstanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's stern warning against violation of SoO ground rules, heavily armed Kuki militants once again attacked several Meitei villages this morning, injuring 16 people.

Fourteen of the victims are currently undergoing treatment at RIMS and two of them have been admitted to ICU as their conditions are said to be critical.

Another two have been admitted at Raj Medicity.

They received bullet injuries on chest, left shoulder, right hand, left hand and left arm.

According to the local people, Kuki militants attacked the Kangchup Chingkhong village using sophisticated weapons, two-inch mortars and lethod bombs.

This led to a fierce gun battle between the Kuki militants on one side and Imphal West commandos and Manipur Rifles personnel on the other.

Kuki militants attack Meitei villages, 16 hurt

Later, the commandos and the MR personnel, somehow, pushed back the Kuki militants to the nearby hills.

The Kuki militants once again attacked the neighbouring villages of Kangchup Chingkhong at around noon.

The Kuki militants also carried out simultaneous attacks at Singda and Kadangband Part I area using sophisticated weapons.

They also attacked the Meitei villages of Haraothel and Koutruk, near the National Sports University.

MR personnel deployed in the area engaged the Kuki militants with heavy firing and forced them to flee from the spot.

Even as reinforcement teams of State police rushed to the spot, heavy firing was still continuing till the time of filing this report.

Our Moirang Correspondent reports: Heavily armed Kuki militants launched a fresh attack at Pombikhok in Bishnupur district.

The well-equipped Kuki militants who have been occupying neighbouring Tangjeng, another Meitei village, started firing indiscriminately toward Pombikhok at around 9 am today.

Volunteers who have been guarding the village and police commandos stationed nearby retaliated, resulting in a tense gun battle which lasted till 3 pm.

There is no report of any casualty so far.

Kuki militants attacked Napat and Tangjeng villages on May 27 and burnt down over 200 houses.

Since then, they have been occupying the two villages.

Now the Kuki militants have been making repeated attempts to burn down all the houses of Chandonpokpi and Pombikhok.

One villager of Pombikhok said that they partially let down their guards following assurances from a police officer and an IRB officer that there would not be any more gun fight as the Union Home Minister had appealed for peace and restraint to one and all.

Keeping faith in the words of the police officers, the number of volunteers guarding the village was reduced.

Taking advantage of the reduced number of village guards, the Kuki militants started firing at around 9 am, in total defiance of the Union Home Minister's call for peace and strict adherence to the SoO ground rules, the villager said.

A woman questioned as to why the Government has been acting deaf and blind to the repeated aggression of Kuki militants upon innocent and unarmed Meitei villagers.

Barely 24 hours after the Union Home Minister left the State, the Kuki militants started attacking Meitei villages, she said.

Asking whether the Government would still remain a silent spectator, the woman urged the Government to protect the vulnerable people who are settled in the periphery of the valley districts.

The gun fight between Kuki militants and police commandos resumed at Pombikhok at around 7 pm and it was going on till the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile Kumbi AC MLA Sanasam Premchandra has asserted that it's time to teach a befitting lesson to the Kuki militants who have been already termed as terrorists by the Chief Minister.

"If the Kuki militants continue their offensive, I will forget that I am an MLA and do everything to save innocent people", the MLA said.

"Why should we suffer so much when we did not offend anyone?", he asked.