In a tense development on Friday, armed assailants from the hills of Manipur launched a series of gun and bomb attacks on the villages of Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi in Imphal East district, prompting a retaliatory response from security forces. The clash led to the injury of two individuals, including a police officer.
According to police reports, the armed men initiated the assault around 10:45 a.m., firing indiscriminately and hurling bombs at the villages. The attack forced local security personnel, including village volunteers, to engage in a fierce gunfight. The first casualty was a 37-year-old policeman, K Haridash, who was injured in the left shoulder. He was immediately transported to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, where he is set to undergo minor surgery.
Additionally, a village volunteer sustained minor injuries to his hands but is reportedly out of danger. Local authorities revealed that the village volunteers had been assisting security forces in their battle against the armed attackers. The gunfight caused panic among villagers, who sought shelter during the exchange of fire.
Around 11:30 a.m., the attackers escalated their efforts, launching a second round of assault on Thamnapokpi village. Security forces, including CRPF personnel, acted quickly to evacuate women, children, and elderly residents from the conflict zone, ensuring their safety amid the ongoing violence.
This attack comes amid ongoing ethnic violence in the region, which has claimed over 250 lives and displaced thousands since May of the previous year. The violent clashes have primarily involved the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, further exacerbating the volatile security situation in the state.
In a separate incident, police discovered a hand grenade placed outside the home of a doctor in Imphal’s Chingmeirong area. A note found alongside the grenade, bearing the warning “KCP (PWG) last warning,” suggested the act might be related to extortion activities. Investigations are underway as authorities continue to monitor the escalating violence in the region, with the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) (KCP-PWG) suspected of being behind extortion operations across the Imphal valley.
The situation in Manipur remains tense, and security forces are on high alert as they attempt to maintain order and provide aid to those affected by the violence.
Sources By Agencies
