Fresh violence claims 6 lives in Manipur

According to an NDTV report, attackers, suspected to be Kuki militants, raided Nungchappi village, located 229 km from Imphal, the state capital, resulting in the death of a 63-year-old man named Yurembam Kulendra Singha.

The attack followed the killing of an elderly man from the valley-based Meitei community, who was praying when a rocket-propelled bomb, allegedly launched by Kuki insurgents, struck in Manipur's Moirang town, according to police reports.

Five more people were reported dead in a gunfight between armed groups from the Meitei community and the hill-dwelling Kuki tribes, who refer to themselves as "village defence volunteers."

The Jiribam Superintendent of Police (SP) and a police team were dispatched to the area but came under fire; the police responded "strongly and controlled the situation," as stated in their report.

In Imphal, the Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) K Kabib confirmed the string of attacks by the Kuki militants.

He said the Kuki militants attacked fringe areas yesterday along the Bishnupur and Churachandpur border. In response, security forces conducted combing operations and destroyed two bunkers previously held by the militants. Later, Kuki militants launched a long-range rocket attack from the hills at Moirang, resulting in the death of a senior citizen and injuring six others.

Jiribam was the site of peace talks last month between Meitei and Hmar leaders, alongside security forces commanders.

The parties issued a joint statement committing to work towards peace.

However, Kuki groups based in Churachandpur opposed the talks, claiming the participants did not represent their interests and had convened only at the request of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

The Hmar Inpui, meanwhile, refused to acknowledge the peace initiative and warned those involved to "cease their blind and selfish efforts."

The organization accused these leaders of surrendering to the "whims and fancies of a divisive and communal government under Biren Singh's leadership."

The report said that the security forces deployed an anti-drone system,  a week after the suspected Kuki insurgents attacked villages in Imphal West district with weaponized drones.

This was the first time suspected insurgents launched attacks with drones on Indian soil.

The police reported that security forces have adopted a multi-layered strategy, including aerial surveillance by army helicopters and search operations in "targeted areas" in both the hills and the valley.

A separate team is also tracking social media activity to identify individuals instigating violence. Several bunkers located in the foothills have been demolished by the security forces.

On Friday evening, a mob attempted to seize weapons from the 2nd and 7th Manipur Rifles camps in Imphal, but were repelled by security forces using tear gas and blank rounds.

Two police officers, Inspector Kh Henery and Constable Issac Gangmei, were wounded when shots were fired from within the crowd; they are both receiving medical treatment.

Protesters in the Imphal valley expressed their dissatisfaction with the state and central governments' handling of the drone and rocket attacks, claiming that civilians are left with no option but to defend themselves.

Imphal resident M Nirmala Devi told NDTV that people weren’t safe in their homes despite the presence of over 50,000 central force personnel.

She cited the killings of a Meitei woman, who was shot by a sniper, and an elderly man attacked by a rocket.