11 feared killed, 10 Kuki bodies recovered in Jiri clash
Source: Chronicle News Service

Jiribam, November 11 2024: Bodies of 10 Kuki militants have been recovered by the police out of 11 widely reportedly to have been slain, while one CRPF trooper suffered injuries in a fierce gunfight that ensued after heavily armed Kuki militants launched series of attacks and acts of arson in Jiribam district on Monday.

The incidents triggered heightened tension in the district, and apprehension among the local population prompting the district administration to clamp curfew to prevent further outbreak of violence.

Skirmishes began Monday as early 4 am, when well-armed Kuki militants in military attires and combat gears attacked Meetei localities in Borobekra sub-division.

The militants set fire to multiple houses and Meira sheds, causing significant damage and destruction.

A local club building was also targeted and destroyed using explosives.

Notably, some of the houses attacked were already targeted in similar assaults in the past few months.

For several days, residents of Borobekra sub-division reported presence of armed Kuki militants roaming freely in the area, creating an atmosphere of fear and tension.

There were also reports of these militants stealing fish, vegetables, and fruits from farms owned by members of the Meetei community on the outskirts of Jiri town.

The violence escalated further around 2 pm, when the Kuki militants arrived at Jakuradhor Lamlong Keithel in auto-rickshaws and launched a fresh assault, setting fire and destroying several houses and shops belonging to the Meetei community before proceeding to attack the Borobekra police station.

The police station, which has been sheltering displaced individuals from Lamtai Khunou and nearby areas, is guarded by police, IRB, and A Company of 20th battalion CRPF.

The security personnel at the police station retaliated, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire.

In the ensuing clash, 11 Kuki militants were reportedly killed, and one CRPF trooper hit by a bullet.

Security forces were able to recover a number of automatic assault rifles, RPGs, ammunition, explosive materials, and military gear.

This was not the first time the Borobekra police station had been targeted.

On October 19, Kuki militants launched attack with use of bombs and automatic weapons.

Meanwhile, a police control room report said that armed militants attacked the CRPF post at Jakuradhor and the nearby Borobekra police station in Jiribam district on Monday around 3 pm.

Security forces, including CRPF and civil police, responded strongly to the assault.

During the attack, one CRPF constable, Sanjeev Kumar, sustained a bullet injury and was promptly evacuated to Silchar Medical College, Assam, where he is currently undergoing treatment.

The attack led to an intense exchange of gunfire that lasted for 40-45 minutes.

Following the cessation of firing, security personnel conducted a thorough search of the area and recovered the bodies of 10 armed militants.

The search also yielded three AK rifles, four SLRs, two INSAS rifles, an RPG, a pump-action gun, bulletproof helmets, and magazines.

A criminal case has been registered, and an investigation into the incident is underway.

Security operations continued in and around Jakuradhor, under Borobekra PS, to flush out any remaining militants.

Reinforcements comprising Assam Rifles, CRPF, and Civil Police have been dispatched to the area to bolster security and maintain control, the report added.

Following the incident, the district magistrate has imposed curfew across the entire Jiribam district to prevent potential disturbances and maintain public order, under Section 163 of the BNSS 2023, due to apprehensions of widespread unrest and potential danger to human lives and property.

The order prohibits the assembly of five or more people and restricts movement outside residences, except for government officials, security forces, and essential service workers.

It also banned carrying of weapons or sharp objects.

Special permissions may be granted for emergencies, such as funerals or weddings, upon application to the authorities.

Earlier on Sunday evening around 5, armed Kuki militants attacked and burned down a forest beat office at Makha Basti under Latingkhal GP.

The militants forced the staff out of the building before setting it ablaze.

They remained at the site to prevent the staff from extinguishing the fire and only left after the office was completely destroyed.

The attack has left the district with virtually no forest offices in the interior areas, except for a few located within Jiri town.

The same forest beat office had been partially burned during a previous attempt a few months earlier.

According to news agencies, at least 10 shops belonging to the Meetei community were set ablaze by suspected militants in Jiribam district on Monday.

Police said suspected Kuki militants set fire to at least ten shops belonging to the Meetei community in Jakuradhor Karong, under Borobekra police station in the district.

Locals said the attacks took place within 100 metres of the police station, raising questions about the effectiveness of security forces.

The violence escalated on Sunday night with the detonation of an IED that destroyed a house in Lamtai Khunou.

Additionally, a Forest Beat office and a Farmer's Cooperative Society office were set ablaze.

According to a Press Trust of India report, 11 suspected militants were killed in the gunfight with security forces, while two CRPF personnel sustained injuries during the heavy exchange of fire at Jakurador Karong in Borobekra sub-division.

The condition of one of them was stated to be critical.

A few of the militants in camouflage uniforms, armed with sophisticated weapons, broke out and went to the Jakurador Karong market, around 100 metres away, and torched several shops, besides attacking some houses, PTI quoted police officers as saying.

A relief camp is also located within the premises of the police station, and five people living there went missing, they said, adding that it was not clear whether these civilians were kidnapped by the retreating militants or went into hiding after the attack began.

The bodies of those killed were brought to the Borobekra police station, officials said.

Borobekra sub-division has witnessed multiple incidents of violence since June.

It is one of the worst-affected areas of the district.

Last week, a 31-year-old woman was killed during an attack on the Zairon Hmar village by armed militants.

At least six houses were reduced to ashes in the attack, according to the police.

More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meetei and Kuki communities since May last year.

Ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by the clashes in Imphal Valley and the adjoining hills, witnessed violence after the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year.

Thousands had to leave their homes and take shelter in relief camps due to incidents of arson.

A CRPF jawan was also killed in an ambush by militants during patrolling in mid-July.

In a separate incident, Soibam Presagar, a 35-year-old resident of Madhupur village, was abducted and brutally assaulted by armed militants.

He is currently undergoing treatment at the Jiribam District Hospital.

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