Gunfight precedes Rahul's Jiribam visit
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 08 2024: In a brazen attack on Monday, a group of armed Kuki militants burned a police outpost near Phaiton village on the Jiribam-Tamenglong district border and attacked a police team who responded to the arson act along with a fire tender.

The incident took place just hours before the scheduled visit of leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Phaiton is situated in Tamenglong district and borders Jiribam district's Gularthol village located approximately 6-7 kilometres from Jiribam police station.

According to Jiribam police, the incident unfolded around 3 am when they received information that the police outpost in Phaiton had been set ablaze by unknown miscreants.

Responding swiftly, district police along with a fire tender team rushed to the scene.

Upon arrival, they were met with volley of gunfire from armed miscreants positioned in the hills.

The police forces retaliated from inside their Casspir vehicle, while the attackers also used lathode bombs against them.

The firefight lasted for several minutes.

Reinforcements from the Assam Rifles and CRPF arrived and conducted a search operation in the Phaiton hills area.

By around 5 am, the gunfire ceased, and the combined team apprehended two Kuki suspects from Phaiton village, seizing several weapons in the process.

The apprehended individuals were handed over to Tamenglong district police for further investigation and verification.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported during the incident, although the front mirror of the fire tender was damaged and the bulletproof Casspir vehicle of police was hit multiple times by bullet.

The Jiribam police indicated that the attack might not be connected to Rahul Gandhi's visit to the district.

Amid the gunfight, Kuki militants also set ablaze a farmhouse belonging to a Meetei resident of the district at Lalpani.

Following the gunfight and capture of two alleged Kuki armed men by central paramilitary forces, tension gripped the border districts of Tamenglong and Jiribam.

The incident, which went viral on social media, sparked protests and violence.

According to reports, the two men were apprehended by security personnel near the villages of Phaiton and Leingangpokpi, located on the border between the two districts.

Following the arrests, a large group of Meira Paibi, a women's vigilante group in Jiribam, launched a protest at the district headquarters.

The protestors demanded that the arrested men be handed over to local authorities.

Soibam Renu, leader of the Jiribam Meira Paibi, alleged that the central forces were trying to conceal the incident, as they had done in the past.

Central force officials, however, maintained that the arrested men would be handed over to the Tousem police station in Tamenglong, as the arrest took place within their jurisdiction.

The incident highlights the ongoing ethnic tensions in Manipur and the challenges faced by security forces in maintaining peace in the region.

Jiribam district had maintained peace for over a year despite isolated incidents of armed attack by Kuki militants from time to time.

However, the peace was shattered when a Meetei farmer was killed by Kuki militants on June 6 and his mutilated body was found later that afternoon.

Around 2000 people, mostly Meetei have been displaced since then and are living in different relief camps.

The joint security team recovered cache of arms and related equipment from Phaitol village.

The seizure includes 247 live rounds, one local made .303 rifle, two single-barrel rifles, one local-made 12-bore rifle, two country-made .32mm pistols with magazines, seven Pompi bombs, five handmade explosive bombs, five vials of gunpowder, five detonators, and 23 empty 12-bore cartridges, and 50 metal splinters.

Additionally, the haul comprises safety fuse wire, rifle slings, walkie-talkie chargers, BP jackets and iron plates, combat dresses, hunting and jungle boots, a loaded Pompi gun, a Motorola walkie-talkie, helmets, catapults, torch lights, mobile chargers, a waist belt, P-cap, extension cord, switchboard, laptop With mouse, smartphones, keypad phone, power bank, , along with Rs 200 in cash.

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