A Manipur Police commando lost his life while four other policemen sustained bullet injuries when Kuki militants attacked a police patrol party at Tronglaobi in the Bishnupur district of Manipur on Thursday. The police official in Imphal confirmed the death of commando Heisnam Jiten and added that the incident took place during an operation against Kuki militants. Further details of the attack are awaited. The attack took place within 24 hours of Kuki extremists firing upon an Army and Assam Rifles team at Dolaithabi in Imphal East district, where an Assam Rifles jawan was injured.
Recently appointed Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh stated that 66 people have lost their lives in recent violence in the state, and search is still ongoing for two missing persons at Khumbong. In total, 284 arms and 6,700 ammunition have been recovered after the miscreants looted them from the security and police personnel during the ethnic violence in different districts.
The ethnic violence began on May 3 after the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur called for a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category. The violence led to clashes, attacks, counter-attacks, and arsoning of houses, vehicles, and government and private properties in more than ten districts.
However, the overall situation in the ethnic violence-hit Manipur improved on Thursday, with authorities relaxing curfew in 11 districts, including Imphal West and Churachandpur for four to eight hours in the morning. The Army and central paramilitary forces continued their vigil in the sensitive areas, while mobile internet services remained suspended in the state until May 13. The Indian Army has undertaken round-the-clock aerial surveillance using drones and choppers to monitor the troubled areas, not only in the hinterland but also along the India-Myanmar border. The Army’s three-pronged domination strategy in Manipur is helping the state return to normalcy.
