Introduction
In a worrying escalation, an increasing number of armed Kuki militants are infiltrating Jiribam in Manipur from various locations as they persist in their relentless effort to gain total control of the district bordering Assam. The Kuki insurgents, who initiated their attacks on May 3rd of the previous year, have resumed their operations after a brief pause for the Lok Sabha election. Numerous unverified and alarming videos circulating on social media depict these militants brandishing weapons and advancing into the region by land and water.
Source: NDTV
Targeting Hindu Meitei Population
The targets of the Kuki militants have been the Hindu Meitei population of Jiribam, as they aim to dominate both the district and NH 37, the Imphal-Jiribam highway. On June 6th, they brutally killed a 59-year-old Meitei farmer, Soibam Saratkumar Singh, marking the beginning of their aggressive campaign in Jiribam. Additionally, they have torched at least 72 Meitei homes and three police stations. Sources indicate that more Kuki militants are currently making their way toward Jiribam via land and water routes with the alarming intention of driving the Meiteis out of the area.
Motorboats carrying a significant number of Kuki insurgents equipped with advanced weaponry have been observed traveling from Lakhimpur into Jiribam via the Jiri and Barak rivers. Furthermore, Kuki militants are stationed in Kuki-Zo villages such as Moinathol and Bethel across the Barak River in the Cachar region of Assam. These sources also reveal that the militants roam various neighborhoods of Jiribam at night. Multiple social media posts indicate that several groups of Kuki militants are advancing toward Jiribam along the Jiribam-Tipaimukh road.
Sabotaging Infrastructure
Kuki insurgents have reportedly destroyed numerous key bridges, severely disrupting the area’s connectivity and exacerbating unrest in the Jiribam district. Although the Assam Rifles repaired the Harinagar bridge after it was targeted, other bridges like Goakhal and Latingkhal were dismantled. They also set the Makhabosti Forest Beat on fire, further adding to the destruction of the district’s infrastructure. The already unstable situation in Jiribam, which has seen a surge in violence following the recent general election results, is being worsened by these acts of sabotage.
Displacement and Security Concerns
Meitei residents from villages near the Jiribam district headquarters have fled to relief camps at the district headquarters due to the increasing number of Kuki militants approaching from various directions. Despite the Manipur government dispatching more state troops to Jiribam, there have been no security arrangements made for the displaced people to return to their home villages yet, according to sources. The local authorities face significant challenges in restoring order and ensuring the safety of the Meitei population amidst the ongoing militant activities.
Kuki militants ambush CM’s security convoy
On June 10th, violence surged significantly when Kuki militants ambushed the security convoy of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh along National Highway 37 at Laijang, near Kotlen village in Kangpokpi district. The 28-year-old escort driver, Bobo, also known as Moirangthem Ajesh from Thanga Ngaram in the Bishnupur region, was injured in the attack. He was admitted to Shija Hospitals and Research Institute (SHRI) in Langol, Imphal.
The convoy was en route to Jiribam at approximately 10:50 am when the ambush occurred, just ahead of the chief minister’s scheduled visit to the volatile district on June 11th. The driver sustained a gunshot wound to the right shoulder and was taken to the hospital around midday under tight security. Doctors reported that his condition was not critical. The incident took place shortly after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh returned to Imphal in the afternoon following his attendance at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi on the evening of June 9th.
The visit to Jiribam aimed to address escalating violence and restore peace in the district. A team of Manipur police, including Commando unit members, was dispatched to the scene immediately after the attack. Subsequently, a coordinated search and rescue operation was launched with the assistance of the Assam Rifles to apprehend the attackers and secure the area.
In addition, insurgents attacked several police outposts and set houses ablaze, arriving in three or four boats on a river in the Jiribam region of Manipur. The attack commenced at 12:30 am in Chotobekra, Jiribam on the banks of the Barak River. A police officer reported that Lamtai Khunou, Dibong Khunou, Nunkhal, and Begra villages in the Jiribam district were the most affected.
Another officer stationed at a police outpost in Borobekra, Jiribam subdivision, a short distance from Chotobekra, reported that militants began targeting the outpost at about 2:30 am. According to police sources, numerous hamlets along the river were attacked. They also confirmed footage showing insurgents celebrating and setting houses on fire.
Assam Rifles step in to rescue Meiteis
Tensions in Jiribam escalated after Soibam Saratkumar Singh’s body was discovered on June 6th, according to Assam Rifles. Miscreants set several homes on fire, disrupting the neighborhood’s law and order. Assam Rifles stated in a press release that it had implemented significant measures to protect locals, curb vandalism, and prevent further deterioration of security. Columns were dispatched to various areas. In collaboration with Manipur Police, Assam Rifles thwarted an attempt by miscreants to steal firearms from Jiribam Police Station.
The press release also noted that Assam Rifles secured remote areas in Phaitol and Raniveng, preventing potential attacks. They successfully rescued 86 residents from Dibong Khunao, Raniveng, and Monbung, including both Meitei and Kuki community members. On June 7th, miscreants began shooting in the Raniveng sector around 5:30 pm. Assam Rifles personnel swiftly mobilized and conducted operations to prevent further incidents. During the operation, 66 Kuki residents were safely evacuated. Earlier that day, 237 Meitei residents from Lamdaikhunao and Monbung villages were relocated to an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp.
On June 7th, officials announced the evacuation of over 239 Meitei people, mostly women and children, from Jiribam’s surrounding districts to a new relief camp at a multi-sports complex. Prohibitory orders were issued in Jiribam after villagers, angered by the farmer’s killing, set a few abandoned buildings on fire upon the retrieval of his body. Locals also protested outside Jiribam Police Station, demanding the return of their legally owned weapons, which had been confiscated before the election.
To address local concerns and reinforce peace and order, Assam Rifles, in cooperation with the civil administration, State Police, CRPF, and other security forces, organized a security meeting in Jiribam. This meeting, which included community leaders and various stakeholders, aimed to foster collaboration and build confidence between residents and security personnel.
Declare Kuki community as a criminal tribe: Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC)
The Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) has attributed the recent unrest in the state to Kuki militants. In a press release, MIYC claimed that these militants are collaborating with central security forces to establish a "Kuki Occupied Manipur" in Jiribam. They called for the Kuki people to be labeled as a criminal tribe due to their participation in conflicts in both Bangladesh and Manipur.
Despite armed Kuki attacks on Meitei homes and residents on May 3rd last year, which resulted in significant violence across the state, Jiribam remained peaceful after a Peace Committee was set up on May 5th of the same year. According to MIYC, this peace lasted until June 5, 2024, when the murder of Soibam Saratkumar Singh disrupted it. In the aftermath, two police outposts, a forest beat office, and over eighty Meitei houses were torched. MIYC criticized state and central security forces for their inaction during these events, accusing the central government of using the Kuki community in a proxy war in Manipur through a funded terrorism campaign.
MIYC also alleged that the return of the same government to power has coincided with the resurgence of violence. They highlighted statements by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who warned of a broader geopolitical scheme to destabilize Bangladesh, Myanmar, and several northeastern Indian states, including Manipur, with the aim of creating a Christian state. She urged India to take prudent actions against Kuki militants rather than supporting them. According to MIYC, Prime Minister Hasina's remarks suggest that the Indian government is using Kuki terrorists to further its geopolitical ambitions in Myanmar, oppress the Meitei people, and diminish Manipur's historical significance as a powerful sovereign state in Southeast Asia.
Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) demands terrorist tag for armed Kuki groups
The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) demanded that all armed Kuki groups be classified as terrorist organizations following an attack on the chief minister's advance security convoy en route to Jiribam, which injured two security personnel. According to COCOMI media coordinator Surjitkumar Khuman, this incident highlights the escalating tension between the state administration and Kuki terrorist groups, exacerbated by the alleged complicity of Indian central security forces.
COCOMI expressed deep concern over the lack of response to such a blatant attack on state apparatus and argued that the ongoing conflict, initially mislabeled as communal violence, is a deliberate act of aggression by Kuki terrorist groups against the state administration. Surjitkumar asserted that Kuki propagandists have systematically portrayed violence as a communal issue since the first attacks on Meitei individuals in Churachandpur and Torbung Kangvai on May 3rd. He claimed these actions were strategic moves by Kuki narco-terrorists to destabilize the state government.
He accused the central government of undermining the authority of the state government and endangering the safety of its residents by remaining indifferent during these attacks. He suggested that the central forces’ failure to support state forces in retaliating or defending against these attacks indicated the Indian state’s tacit support for the Kuki groups, contributing to further violence and instability. Surjitkumar called for a thorough investigation into the alleged protection and complicity of Indian security personnel with Kuki terrorist groups and urged the Indian government to take decisive and immediate action to address the issue.
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