June 8th 2024.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, chaos erupted in Manipur's Jiribam district as suspected militants set fire to a police outpost and several houses. The Jiri police outpost, located in Chotobekra area along the Barak river, was engulfed in flames around 12:30am. Reports suggest that the gunmen, believed to be from the hills, took advantage of the cover of darkness to launch multiple attacks in Lamtai Khunou and Modhupur areas. These areas are about 220km away from the state capital, Imphal.
According to a district official in Jiribam, the exact number of houses that were burnt down is unknown at this time, but it is believed that several homes in the outlying areas have been destroyed. In response to this violence, Manipur Police has deployed a commando team to Jiribam by air from Imphal to assist in security operations against the militants.
Meanwhile, newly elected Congress MP from the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, has called upon the state government to take action and protect the lives and properties of the people in Jiribam district. Akoijam held a press conference in Imphal, where he stated that he had spoken with district officials in Jiribam and was informed that reinforcements had been sent. However, he expressed concern that while those in the town were being provided with security, those in the peripheral areas were left vulnerable.
As a result of the violence, approximately 239 people, mostly women and children, have been evacuated from their villages in Jiribam district and are currently seeking shelter at the sports complex in Jiri town. This unrest was triggered by the killing of a 59-year-old man, allegedly by militants from a different community. In response, on June 6, the Jiribam district administration imposed an indefinite curfew in the area.
This incident has sparked a fresh bout of ethnic tension in the district, which had previously remained unscathed by the ongoing ethnic conflicts in Manipur. Jiribam has a diverse population consisting of Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis, and non-Manipuris. The state has been plagued by ethnic strife since May last year, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people and displacing thousands from their homes. The conflict has primarily been between the Meitei community in the Imphal Valley and the Kuki community in the hills, but Jiribam had remained peaceful until now.
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