Manipur On The Edge Again: 5 Killed in Fresh Violence As Unprecedented Rocket Attacks, Drone Bombings Rock State

As unprecedented rocket attacks and drone bombings rocked Manipur over the last week, at least five more people were killed in fresh violence in Jiribam district on Saturday morning.

Bishnupur (Manipur): Five people were killed in fresh violence in Manipur's Jiribam district on Saturday morning with one of them shot dead in his sleep while four armed persons killed in a subsequent exchange of fire, a police officer said.

Militants entered the house of the person who lived alone in an isolated location around 5 km from the district headquarters and shot him dead in his sleep, he said.

After the killing, a heavy exchange of fire broke out between armed men of the warring communities in the hills around 7 km from the district headquarters, leading to the deaths of four armed persons, including three hills-based militants, the officer added.

The latest killings are part of the resurgence of violence in the conflict-ridden northeastern state. The ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities which broke out in May last year, has spiralled upwards with unprecedented rocket attacks and drone bombings rocking the state in the last few weeks and sending the security forces into a tizzy.

Fresh Flare-up In Ethnic Violence

Violence in Manipur ratcheted up since September 1 when suspected Kuki militants, in an RPG attack using drones, killed 31-year-old Ngangbam Surbala while his 8-year-old daughter besides two cops and three other civilians were injured in the attack at Koutruk in Imphal West.

In the attack which Manipur Police termed “unprecedented”, alleged Kuki militants deployed numerous RPGs using high-tech drones. “While drone bombs have commonly been used in general warfares, this recent deployment of drones to deploy explosives against security forces and the civilians marks a significant escalation. The involvement of highly trained professionals, possibly with technical expertise and support, cannot be ruled out. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, and the police are prepared to respond to any contingency that may arise,” Manipur Police wrote on its official X handle.

The attack was followed by a similar bomb attack on September 2. Manipur Police said that in the attack using drones at Senjam Chirang Maning Leikai, Imphal West District, three civilians were injured.

First CM's House Targeted In Unprecedented Rocket Attacks

After relative peace of four days, violence escalated on Friday as Kuki militants, in an unprecedented onslaught, fired rockets at two locations including the home of the state's first chief minister Mairembam Koireng Singh’s home in Moirang town Bishnupur District in which a septuagenarian was killed while six others were injured. The Kuki militants are believed to have launched the rockets from the nearby hills of Churachandpur.

Police said that two bunkers at Mualsang village and one bunker at Laika Mualsau village of Churachandpur were destroyed by the security forces after the attack. Amid the resurgent violence in the state, the state government has ordered the closure of all schools in Manipur on Saturday.

Panic After Drone Sightings

People in peripheral areas of Bishnupur and Imphal East districts of Manipur turned off their lights on Friday night following sightings of multiple drones, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) expressed concern over the escalating violence. Khuraijam Athouba, spokesperson of the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), said that there has been an “increase in Kuki aggression”.

“The situation is out of control. The central forces which are being deployed in the hilly areas are ignorant and not able to take care of the security situation. The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity has declared an indefinite public emergency in the state of Manipur... We appeal to all to take refuge in safe areas," Athouba said.

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