Violence flared up again in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday, resulting in five deaths, according to PTI. Police reported that a suspected militant attack claimed the life of a man while he slept, followed by the deaths of four others in a firefight between armed factions from two rival communities.
The incident follows a rocket attack in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Friday, where an elderly man was killed and six others, including a 13-year-old girl, were injured. The rocket was reportedly launched by suspected militants.
“Police teams and additional security forces have been rushed in to conduct combing operations in the hill ranges adjoining the area. 02 (two) bunkers at Mualsang village and 01 (one) bunker at Laika Mualsau village of Churachandpur (03 bunkers in total) were destroyed. Further, Police teams of the Bishnupur District including the SP rushed to the area in which they were fired upon by suspected Kuki militants but the police team retaliated robustly and repelled the attack. Military chopper has been deployed to conduct aerial patrolling,” Manipur Police posted on X after the attack on Friday.
Since ethnic violence erupted on May 3 between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and Christian Kuki-Zo tribes, at least 226 people have been killed, and over 59,000 have been displaced.
A year after the violence first erupted, the situation remains tense, with regular gunbattles between factions. Thousands of weapons stolen from government armories continue to fuel the ongoing conflict.
Earlier this week, two people were killed and several others injured when crude bombs were dropped on villages in Imphal West using drones. In response to the escalating violence, the Manipur Education Department closed all schools on Saturday, while the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity, a valley-based civil society group, declared an indefinite “public emergency.”
