Manipur Violence: 2 Elderly Relief Camp Inmates Found Dead After Militant Attack in Jiribam; 6 Civilians, Including 8-Month-Old Baby, Feared Abducted

Anger and anxiety gripped Manipur’s Jiribam district after bodies of two elderly relief camp inmates were recovered by the police on Tuesday, one of them was partially charred while the other one had bullet injuries. This came following the violence on Monday when a relief camp located inside the Borobekra Police Station in Jiribam District came under the attack of armed militants. Six people from the same relief camp including three women and three children are still missing. The two elderly deceased have been identified as Maibam Kesho Singh, 75 and Laishram Barel, 61.

Pictures have surfaced of the six civilians, suspected to have been abducted by the militants, where women and children could be seen helplessly waiting in backdrop of a night sky. Two of the three children missing are 8 years old while another infant is barely 8 months. Police claim the search operation is on but no information as yet. Locals claim they were abducted during Monday’s violence after the relief camp for internally displaced people (IDP) and also a CRPF camp at Jakuradhor village was attacked between 2.30pm and 3pm. In a retaliatory joint operation by CRPF and Manipur police, 10 militants were gunned down and several ‘sophisticated’ weapons were seized.

“The Civil Police and CRPF retaliated strongly. After 40-45 minutes of heavy exchange of fire, the situation was brought under control. After the firing ceased, the area was searched and 10(ten) dead bodies of armed militants in military fatigues were recovered along with war-like arms and ammunition (3 nos. of AKs, 4 nos. of SLRs, 2 nos. of INSAS, 1 no. of RPG, 1 no. of Pump Action Gun, BP Helmets and Magazines) (02 arms of which were found to be looted arms from Police Armoury). The armed militants were not ambushed but were killed during the retaliatory firing by the security forces. Had the security forces not retaliated, the damage could have been much more. Further, the armed militants have been found to be from distant Churachandpur and Pherzawl Districts, and had traversed a long distance to Jiribam District for planning/ executing these attacks”, said Manipur Police in their official statement.

The 10 killed in encounter have been identified as militants by the forces but Kuki-Zo ordinations in Churachandpur have condemned the killings and have identified them as village volunteers. Total 13 people went unaccounted from the relief camp that came under the attack. While three civilians were rescued from Guakhal by Police and Assam Rifles, two more had later reunited with their families. “Presently, 06(six) civilian IDPs including 03(three) women and 3(three) children are still missing. Search operations are going on to find them”, read the official statement from Manipur police, even as more than 36 hours have passed by since they have gone missing.

Several families from Churachandpur had taken shelter at the Borobekra relief camp after the violence in May 2023. Unable to go back to their villages, most of the families there had started a new life with children being sent to nearby schools. The fresh incident of violence has pushed people back to their memories of horror and losses.