Shillong, August 6: In the last 24 hours, six people, including a father-son duo, have lost their lives in strife-torn Manipur, with 16 others sustaining injuries due to day-long attacks along the Bishnupur-Churachandpur border areas since early Saturday morning.
NDTV reported that to address the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, the Army has initiated a major combing operation, leading to the arrest of at least one insurgent who sustained bullet injuries.
Given the gravity of the situation, there will be no curfew relaxation in the Imphal East and Imphal West districts today, as confirmed by police sources.
Saturday witnessed one of the deadliest days in a fortnight for Manipur, as several places along the Bishnupur-Churachandpur border reported continuous mortar and grenade attacks, resulting in a heavy exchange of fire from both sides.
As per reports, in a pre-dawn attack on a village in Kwakta area of Bishnupur district, three unarmed villagers, including a father-son duo, were killed. The victims had returned to guard their village after fleeing to relief camps when violence first erupted on May 3. Security forces sources revealed that two of the men were also attacked with sharp weapons before being shot at close range.
Retaliatory attacks followed, with armed men reportedly opening fire and using mortar shells and grenades in Kwakta’s neighboring villages, Phoujang and Songdo, in the Churachandpur district. These attacks claimed two more lives and left several others injured.
In another simultaneous attack at Terakhongsangbi in Bishnupur district, one person was killed, and three others, including a police commando, sustained gunshot injuries.
Additional reports indicated shootings by unidentified individuals in Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi villages in Imphal East district, though no casualties were reported. Moreover, unidentified mobs set fire to houses in Langgol, Imphal West district.
The incidents sparked massive protests in Imphal against the killings.
Manipur BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh, who is also the Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s son-in-law, criticized the central security forces, alleging significant security lapses in the Bishnupur district attack that claimed three lives. He called for action against paramilitary force personnel for their alleged negligence in duty.
In response to the fresh violence across various districts, the Manipur police, along with joint forces, conducted search operations in vulnerable and fringe areas and destroyed seven illegal bunkers.