India’s Manipur Police reported Tuesday that armed factions initiated an assault on state security forces, which resulted in the injury of six security personnel. Manipur is a state in northeastern India which has been subject to instability because of ethnic clashes over the past year.
The Manipur Police reported that on Tuesday, armed factions launched an attack on a joint security forces unit in Moreh, Tengnoupal District, using gunfire and explosives. They stated that the security forces responded with a strong counteroffensive, resulting in six personnel sustaining injuries from shrapnel. The injured were evacuated to Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, for further medical treatment, and the forces remain on high alert to prevent any potential adverse incidents. The Chief Minister of Manipur CM N Biren Singh, while talking to the press, commented on the situation and said:
Even we have seen some of the videos leaked from the terrorist groups…We are working with the Central and State forces. We are countering them and a search operation is going on. Reinforcement has been sent. We have a doubt about the involvement of foreign machinery from the Myanmar side. It is our commitment to the people of the state that we will not succumb to this kind of threat and pressure.
The attack came a day after the Manipur Police reported that unidentified armed individuals attacked Lilong Chingjao in the Thoubal District. That attack resulted in the death of four individuals and the injury of 14 others. A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the incident and apprehend the individuals responsible for the attack. A curfew was subsequently imposed in the region by the local administration.
The northeastern state of Manipur has endured an internet shutdown amid ethnic violence between the Meitei majority in the valley and the Kuki-Zomi-Mizo-Chin tribal communities in the hills since May 2023. Triggered by the demand for “scheduled tribe” status by the Meiteis, clashes erupted on May 3, 2023, leading to over 120 reported deaths and 3,000 injuries. Scheduled tribe (ST) status in India confers certain privileges and affirmative action benefits on communities recognized by the Constitution as indigenous tribal groups. The government deployed military forces, resulting in an “exchange of populations” between the communities. Around 60,000 people are displaced, seeking refuge in relief camps and neighboring states, with concerns of a potential civil war looming. Over 200 churches and 17 temples have been vandalized. Even now the situation remains tense.
