Suspected militants fire at village in Manipur’s Jiribam district

Manipur: Shutdown in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi affects life

IMPHAL — Suspected militants fired at a village in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday, police said.

Armed men fired indiscriminately at Mongbung Meitei village from nearby hilltops and surrounding thick forests prompting retaliation from village volunteers in the area, they said.

Quoting villagers, a police officer said several women, children and elderly are being evacuated to safer places.

Security forces have been rushed to control the situation, he said, adding that no casualties have been reported so far.

Mongbung Meitei village, located 7 km from district headquarters town, has seen multiple attacks from armed men since violence broke out in the district in June this year.

Manipur: Shutdown in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi affects life

The shutdown in Manipur’s Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts affected normal life on Saturday, officials said.

Markets and other commercial establishments remained shut, while vehicles stayed off the roads, they said.

No untoward incidents have so far been reported, they added.

The shutdown began in the two districts on Friday and would continue till Sunday.

The shutdown has been called by Kuki-Zo groups, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) and Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), in protest against Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh’s statement.

Singh had on September 20 claimed that security forces have taken a number of steps in the wake of reports that “900 militants” might carry out violence in peripheral villages of Imphal valley districts.

The state government on Wednesday, however, retracted the claim and asserted that the likelihood of “any such misadventures by armed groups is minimal and unsubstantiated”.

Also read: Army, police recover arms cache in violence-hit Manipur