Imphal: Barely 24 hours after a drone bomb and gun attack by suspected Kuki militants killed two in Manipur, a similar attack was witnessed in the Imphal West district of the northeastern state on Monday evening in which three persons including a woman were injured
"At least two explosives were dropped from a drone on Monday evening around 6.20 pm at a residential locality in which a woman and two others were injured," police officials said. The woman was at her residence in Senjam Chirang locality when the bomb pierced through the corrugated iron roof sheets of her home and exploded, they said. The injured have been admitted to hospital, the police said.
Militants also fired indiscriminately on the low-lying village of Sejam Chirang from hilltop positions in Kangpokpi district prompting retaliation by security forces, a police officer said. The place is located hardly 3 km from Koutruk where two persons were killed and nine were injured in a similar drone bomb and gun attack on Sunday.
Suspected militants had burnt at least five abandoned houses in the village before they were chased away by security forces. "Five abandoned houses were burnt by the militants. The residents had fled their homes after the gun and bomb attack that began around 2.30 pm on Sunday. The militants were pushed back by security forces on Sunday night," a police officer said.
Koutruk, located around 18 km from the state capital Imphal, has witnessed several attacks since ethnic violence in Manipur broke out in May last year. The attack by suspected militants on Sunday caused widespread panic among the residents, forcing women, children and elderly people to flee to safer areas, the police said.
The Manipur Police claimed that rocket-propelled grenades and drones were used in the attack. An official statement about the gun-and-bomb attack said, "In an unprecedented attack in Koutruk, Imphal West, alleged militants have deployed numerous RPGs using high-tech drones. While drone bombs have commonly been used in general warfare, this recent deployment of drones to deploy explosives against security forces and civilians marks a significant escalation." The involvement of highly trained professionals, possibly with technical expertise and support, cannot be ruled out, it said.
Meanwhile, Manipur police in a statement said that a drone has been recovered from nearby Kharam Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district during search operations. Search operations and area domination conducted by security forces at Kangchup Ponlen in Kangpokpi district led to the recovery of arms and explosives.
Ten 12-inch single-bore barrel rifles, one improvised mortar, nine improvised mortar barrels, twenty gelatin sticks, thirty detonators, two country-made rockets and others were seized during the operations, the statement added.
'Act of terrorism': Manipur CM Biren Singh
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh condemned Sunday's incident of violence in the state, stating that the use of drones to drop bombs on civilians and security forces, "is an act of terrorism".
The Chief Minister also denounced these "cowardly attacks" in the strongest possible terms, emphasizing the need to unite together against hate, division and separatism.
"Dropping of bombs on civilian population and security forces by using drones is an act of terrorism and I condemn such cowardly acts in the strongest terms. Manipur state government takes such unprovoked assault with utmost seriousness and will take up necessary response to fight such forms of terrorism upon the indigenous population," Singh said in a post on X.
"We denounce all forms of violence, and the people of Manipur shall unite together against hate, division and separatism," he added.
Congress MP A. Bimol Akoijam alleged that the fresh incident of violence in Manipur exposes the failure of the law enforcing agencies, particularly the central armed forces deployed in Manipur.
"This is no Ukraine. This is Manipur, one of the States of the Union! The latest round of criminal and deadly assault on the civilians in the central valley of Manipur, including using drones to bomb residential areas, exposes the failure of the law enforcing agencies, particularly the armed forces under the GoI which are deployed in Manipur," he said.
"Who is going to be made accountable for their actions or rather inactions? Should not the GoI take the moral or otherwise responsibility for these deaths and destruction," Bimol Akoijam added.
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