Imphal, Sep 2 (IANS) Two people, including a woman, were killed and nine others, including a police officer and the deceased woman’s minor daughter, were injured in a firing by suspected militants in Manipur’s Ghati area on Sunday. Security forces have launched a search for the accused.
Manipur Director General of Police Rajiv Singh said heavily armed militants opened indiscriminate fire from hilltops and also hurled bombs in the lower valley areas of Kotruk and neighbouring Kadangband under Imphal West district. In the firing, a 31-year-old woman and a villager were killed, while nine others, including the woman’s eight-year-old daughter and a police officer, were injured.
The official said the sudden attack by suspected militants created tension and panic. Due to this, many villagers including women, children and elderly fled to take shelter in safer places.
The deceased Meitei woman was identified as Ngangbam Surabala Devi. Her body was taken to the government Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for post-mortem. The woman’s daughter, police officer N. Robert (30) and other injured have also been admitted to RIMS and other hospitals.
The woman and others were in their homes when the firing started. Several houses were also damaged in the firing and bomb attacks. A large contingent of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel reached the area along with state forces and launched a search operation to nab the militants.
Soon after the militants’ attack, the Manipur Home Department said in a statement that the state government has come to know about the unfortunate incident of attack on unarmed Kotruk villagers on Sunday using drones, bombs and several sophisticated weapons. It said the Kuki militants killed two people and injured many others. “The government takes such acts of unleashing terror on unarmed villagers very seriously, while the state government is making all possible efforts to bring normalcy and peace in the state.”
The Home Department statement said that such acts of Kuki militants to create mayhem among unarmed villagers are being seen as an attempt to derail the efforts of the state government to establish peace in the state. It also said that such acts are strongly condemned.
The state government has initiated action to control the situation and punish those involved in Sunday’s attack at Kotruk village in Imphal West district, the statement said.
Sunday’s incident is the second murder in Manipur in a month. Charubala Haokip (59), wife of a former MLA, was killed in an explosion in Ekou Mullam in the tribal-dominated Kangpokpi district of Manipur on August 11.
According to police, Charubala Haokip (59), wife of former MLA Yumthong Haokip (64), was seriously injured in the blast and was rushed to the community health centre in Saikul where she succumbed to her injuries. Charubala belonged to the Meitei community while Yumthong belonged to the Kuki-jo community.
–IANS
CBT/
