News Reporter
Jiribam, Manipur – A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldier was killed and two state police commandos were injured when their joint patrol was ambushed by suspected insurgents in Manipur's Jiribam district, near the Assam border. The attack occurred as the patrol vehicle came under heavy fire from the assailants.
Eyewitness reports and visuals from the ambush site show the patrol SUV riddled with bullet holes and a shattered rear windshield. The CRPF soldier, who was inside the vehicle, succumbed to his injuries, while the two police commandos also sustained gunshot wounds.
"We returned effective fire, forcing the insurgents to flee into the forest. A combing operation is currently underway," a senior police officer told NDTV from Jiribam, which is approximately 220 km from Manipur's capital, Imphal.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the attack in a post on X (formerly Twitter), attributing it to "suspected Kuki militants." The ambush follows heightened tensions in Jiribam due to recent clashes between the Meitei community and the Hmar tribes. Despite a year of relative calm, violence erupted last month, displacing over a thousand people from both communities, many of whom are now living in relief camps, including some in neighboring Assam.
The strategic significance of Jiribam is underscored by National Highway 37, one of Manipur's key lifelines, which connects Imphal with Assam's Cachar district. National Highway 2, the other crucial route linking Manipur with the rest of India, remains blocked in the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district, exacerbating supply shortages. The Kuki community has accused the Meitei of obstructing essential goods and cargo from reaching their areas.
Ethnic violence between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, a group of nearly two dozen tribes named by the British during colonial times, has claimed over 220 lives and displaced nearly 50,000 people internally. Armed individuals from both sides, identifying themselves as "village defense volunteers," continue to escalate the conflict under the guise of self-defense.
The Meitei community, currently classified under the general category, is demanding inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes category. Conversely, the Kuki tribes, with ethnic ties to Myanmar's Chin State and Mizoram, are advocating for a separate administrative region within Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal distribution of resources and power.
As the situation remains volatile, authorities are urging for calm and cooperation to restore peace in the region. The ongoing combing operation aims to identify and apprehend the insurgents responsible for the ambush.