A Central Reserve Police Force constable was killed and two Manipur police personnel were injured in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Sunday morning, in a gun fight that broke out in the Mongbum village area.
The AR is stationed inside Mongbum (Kuki) and we seldom go there.”“On July 13 night, this team inside Mongbum (Meitei) reported firing in the area.
The deceased CRPF constable was driving the bulletproof vehicle the team was moving in.
Initial medical examination has determined Mr. Jha’s cause of death to be from a bullet injury through the right forehead, whereas the two injured Manipur Police personnel were found to be injured by pellets.
‘Firing from hills’Security sources told The Hindu that in the firefight that was going on, as the bullet-proof vehicle drove out with some of the personnel, some injured personnel of the police and some CRPF personnel were left behind.
A Central Reserve Police Force constable was killed and two Manipur police personnel were injured in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Sunday morning, in a gun fight that broke out in the Mongbum village area. The exchange of fire began around 9:30 a.m. when a joint team of the Manipur police and the CRPF had entered a part of the village, the police said.
The CRPF honoured its 43-year old constable in a condolence post on X, saying, “On 14 July 2024, during an ambush by militants on a joint party of 20 Battalion #CRPF and State Police at Jiribam, Manipur, brave Constable Driver Ajay Kumar Jha sacrificed his life in the line of duty. CRPF salutes our brave soldier’s indomitable courage, valour and devotion to the motherland.”
The Manipur police added that one sub-inspector of the Jiribam police station and one other employee of the Manipur State police were also injured in the firing.
‘PM not bothered’
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also took to X, where he condoled the death of the CRPF constable, condemned the attack, and held “suspected Kuki militants” responsible for it. The Opposition Congress also posted on social media, condoling the CRPF man’s death, and adding that as “violence continues in Manipur... [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi is not bothered by this. He is happy in his own world”.
Top sources in the security establishment told The Hindu that a checkpost of the Assam Rifles (AR) , earlier near the entrance of the village, had been taken down about three days ago as part of routine trust-building efforts that had been underway. The local administration and police had been informed of this development in their regular security review meetings.
One source said that the police were asked not to venture beyond the municipal limits without intimating the Assam Rifles, adding that the AR unit was not made aware of the movements of the team of police and CRPF on Sunday.
CRPF driver killed
Superintendent of Police, Jiribam, M. Pradip Singh told The Hindu, “A small team of Manipur Police and CRPF were already stationed in the part of Mongbum where Meitei people live – Mongbum (Meitei) – which is slightly lower than the location of Mongbum (Kuki) which is located on the hilltop. The AR is stationed inside Mongbum (Kuki) and we seldom go there.”
“On July 13 night, this team inside Mongbum (Meitei) reported firing in the area. On July 14, around 9 a.m., a small team of Manipur Police commandos and CRPF personnel were making a visit to Mongbum (Meitei) in bullet-proof vehicles to check on this report of firing. There was no operation being conducted. This is when the team came under fire from five-six directions and a firefight ensued,” Mr. Singh said. Security officials confirmed that no civilians were injured in the firing on Sunday. The deceased CRPF constable was driving the bulletproof vehicle the team was moving in.
Initial medical examination has determined Mr. Jha’s cause of death to be from a bullet injury through the right forehead, whereas the two injured Manipur Police personnel were found to be injured by pellets.
‘Firing from hills’
Security sources told The Hindu that in the firefight that was going on, as the bullet-proof vehicle drove out with some of the personnel, some injured personnel of the police and some CRPF personnel were left behind. These personnel were then pulled out of the area by the Assam Rifles as more bullet-proof vehicles were also being sent to rescue them. Officials said the firing had stopped within an hour of its beginning.
Police sources said that the firing allegedly began from the hills and that suspected cadres of underground groups may have been involved in the fight. “There is a report that one man injured in this firefight was brought into the Silchar Medical College in neighbouring Assam and he is believed to be a cadre of the KLA [or Kuki Liberation Army] from Kangvai in Churachandpur,” a source said.
Competing narratives
Within hours of the firing in Mongbum, both Meitei and Kuki civil society organisations issued statements, with the former accusing “Kuki-Zo armed terrorists” for the attacks and the latter accusing the Manipur Police Commandos, select personnel of the CRPF, the Arambai Tenggol and United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a proscribed Meitei secessionist outfit for it.
In its statement, the Jiri Apunba Lup (JAL), a conglomerate of Meitei CSOs in Jiribam also claimed that the allegations of the Kuki organisations were “baseless and full of lies”. It added that on the night of July 13, the house of a Meitei CSO leader near Phaitol village was also allegedly burnt down.
In a joint statement issued by the Kuki Inpi Manipur in Jiribam, Tamenglong, and Noney district, the Kuki CSOs questioned the leadership of the Manipur State Police and the leadership of the local CRPF units.
The statement, signed by chiefs of the local Kuki Inpi Manipur, Kuki Students’ Organisation, Kuki Inpi Women Wing and Kuki Chief Association, said, “We will no longer tolerate any kind of atrocities, be it from the Meetei government or those Central security agencies which plan to carry out atrocities against us. As loyal citizens of this country, we have the rights to protect ourselves and will fight against all the injustice done to us.”
‘Reinforce security’
The JAL, meanwhile, asked that the Government reinforce security deployment in the area, saying that it was crucial for everyone to “come together as a united front against terrorism and violence”, and pressed on with the demand for the Union government to abrogate the Suspension of Operations agreement signed with the 24 Kuki-Zo insurgent groups.
The Indigenous Tribes Advisory Council of Jiribam and Pherzawl districts also issued a statement later on Sunday night, demanding “swift action” from the Central government to protect Hmar and Kuki-Zo communities in the Jiribam area. They also sought that Manipur State security forces be “prevented from entering” any Hmar and Kuki-Zo villages “to avoid further violence and unrest”.
In his post on X, CM Mr. Singh said, “I strongly condemn the killing of a CRPF personnel in an attack carried out by an armed group, suspected to be Kuki militants, in Jiribam district today. His supreme sacrifice in the line of duty shall not go in vain. I further extend my sincere condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased soldier, while praying for the speedy recovery of the ones injured during the attack.”
In its post, the Opposition Congress party said, “Violence continues in Manipur... Today a CRPF convoy was attacked. One soldier is reported to have been martyred in this attack. The condolences of the Congress family are with the bereaved family. More than a year has passed and Manipur is still burning in the fire of violence. But.. Narendra Modi is not bothered by this. He is happy in his own world.”
