Two CRPF Soldiers Killed, Several Injured in Militant Attack in Manipur's Bishnupur District

Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed, and several others were injured in an attack by armed militants in Manipur's Bishnupur district early Saturday morning. The militants attacked an IRBn security camp in Naranseina within the Moirang police station area.

The incident occurred between midnight and 2:15 am, when the militants targeted a CRPF outpost with gunfire and bombs. As per police reports the militants initiated the attack by firing indiscriminately from hilltops towards the security camp and hurled bombs, one of which exploded within the outpost. 

The deceased have been identified as CRPF sub-inspector N Sarkar and head constable Arup Saini, while the injured personnel include inspector Jadav Das and constable Aftab Hussain. The injured were promptly rushed to Bishnupur District Hospital and later transferred to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal for further treatment. 

The CRPF personnel were deployed to provide security to an India Reserve Battalion (IRBn) camp located in Naranseina, within the Moirang police station area. The assailants, reportedly armed with a crude artillery weapon known as a "pumpi gun," targeted the CRPF outpost, situated approximately 2 kilometers away from the hills. The area has been designated as sensitive since violence erupted in Manipur in the past year, prompting central security forces to be stationed there.

A senior police officer described the assault as a relentless barrage that lasted over an hour, with militants continuing their onslaught until the early hours of the morning. Following the attack, a massive combing operation was launched in the area to track down the perpetrators and restore security.

The fresh bout of violence in Manipur evokes memories of previous clashes between the two ethnic communities of the region, which have resulted in heightened tensions and violence. Ethnic clashes that broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023 have claimed over 200 lives and displaced over 60,000 people.