'Guarded' Jiri Meetei village attacked, SFs recover guns, bombs
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 10 2024: Suspected Kuki militants attacked Jiribam district's Mongbung Meetei village from the adjoining Mongbung Kuki and Seijang Kuki villages, all of which have deployment of state and central forces, on Tuesday night while search operation conducted at Mongbung Kuki village on, Wednesday led to recovery of large cache of arms and ammunition including bombs.

On Tuesday around 7 pm, Kuki militants unleashed bombs and fired several rounds on the Meetei village from three directions, causing damage to Meetei houses.

As state forces deployed in the village retaliated the gun fight raged for over an hour and ceased only after arrival of Assam Rifles and additional personnel of Manipur police.

Consequent to the attack and exchange of firing, the Meetei villagers left their homes with some seeking shelter at the nearby CRPF camp, while others fled to other safer locations.

Speaking to this daily, one Pukhrambam Jenita of the Meetei village, recounted that she and her mother were preparing dinner when bullets hit their house, and bombs exploded nearby with both managing to avoid injuries as they laid on the ground.

She also claimed to have contacted the CRPF post for help but were told that even the CRPF could not leave their camp.

With no options left, Jenita and her family crawled out of a window, crossed the paddy fields in complete darkness and reached Lalpani, where they took an auto-rickshaw to the relief camp set up at Chingdong Leikai.

Meanwhile, a combined team of state police, 39 AR and 20 and 87 battalion CRPF comprising Jiribam SP M Pradip, Jiribam police station OC, Jiribam district police commando OC and special mobile patrol unit, conducted search operation at Mongbung Kuki village from 8:30 am to 11:10 am on Wednesday and recovered arms and bombs used by the Kuki militants, including one country-made single barrel gun, one 12 bore single barrel gun, 20 rounds of 12 bore, 84 empty cases of 12 bore, 39 assorted rounds, two cartridges, 45 magazines, a wooden butt, one local-made explosive, seven IED fuses, two Baofeng walkie-talkie handsets with five chargers, eight mobile handsets with hvechargers and three batteries, three BP jackets, one improvised BP plate, one camouflage 'pithu' bag, one cartridge belt, pair of jungle shoes, pair of slippers and a sling bag.

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