Suspected Kuki Militants Ambush Manipur CM’s Advanced Security Convoy, Cop Injured
Guwahati: Suspected Kiki militants on Monday ambushed the advance security convoy of Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh in Kangpokpi district, in which one security man was injured.
Security sources said Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who is yet to reach Imphal from New Delhi, was planning to visit Jiribam on Tuesday to take stock of the situation in the district and an advance security convoy of nearly 10 vehicles was on its way to make security arrangements for his visit.
Saying that the incident took place at about 10.40 am on the National Highway 57, Imphal-Jiribam road, at T. Laijang village, about 26 km from Imphal, the security sources said the area falls under the jurisdiction of the New Keithelmanbi police station in Kangpokpi district.
The injured has been identified as Moirangthem Ajesh, 32, a resident of Thanga Ngaram Leikai, Bishnupur district. He got a bullet injury on the back of his right shoulder. He has been evacuated to a hospital in Imphal.
The security sources said multiple gunshots were fired at the vehicles of the security forces, who retaliated. The militants targeted the security personnel from hilltops.
In Assam, meanwhile, security sources said that at least 600 people living in the violence-hit Jiribam district of Manipur have taken shelter in Assam’s Cachar district in the last four days.
Jiribam, which borders Assam, has seen mob violence, in which houses and government offices have been burnt, following the recovery of the body of a man on June 6.
Cachar SP Numal Mahatta said that most of them have taken shelter in the Lakhipur area. “They have taken shelter in the houses of relatives in Assam’s Lakhipur and the surrounding areas, however, adequate security measures have been taken to maintain law and order in areas near the border,” he said.
Mr Mahatta said that no shelter camps have been built to provide shelter to the Manipur residents, but additional police and commando forces have been deployed along the Assam-Manipur border.
Lakhipur MLA Kaushik Rai on Sunday visited the border areas and said there was no impact of the Manipur violence in Cachar. “Around 600 Manipur residents have taken shelter here and we have arranged adequate security for them. Here, people of different linguistic communities are living and to maintain peace, we have called a peace meeting on Monday”, he said. According to locals, those taking shelter in Assam include both Kuki and Meitei linguistic groups of Manipur.
