Violence In Jiribam: 14-year-old Among Three Rushed to Silchar Medical With Bullet Injuries

The tension in the Jiribam district of Manipur has been in the news for the past month. It has escalated once again as a gunfight broke out Sunday morning between security forces and unidentified armed militants in Mongbung and Sejang villages of Jiribam. The clash, which took place in the early hours of Sunday, left two Manipur commandos and one CRPF jawan seriously injured. Later the CRPF Jawan succumbed to the injuries and was declared dead by the Central Force.

According to reports, the militants suddenly opened fire on the security forces in Mongbung and Sejang villages. In retaliation, the security forces returned fire, resulting in a gunfight that lasted for about two hours. The incident has once again created a tense situation in Jiribam.

Tragically, the CRPF jawan injured in the firing has passed away. The jawan, identified as Ajay Kumar Jha, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital in Jiribam. It has been reported that Jha was from Bihar.

In addition to the CRPF jawan’s death, three patients were admitted to the casualty ward at Silchar Medical College and Hospital in Cachar district. Two men, aged 31 and 39 years, were admitted with gunshot injuries, while a 14-year-old boy, who suffered a lung injury due to a gunshot wound, was referred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). The other two patients remain admitted at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH).

The Kuki Inpi Manipur has strongly condemned what it describes as a state-sponsored attack on Sejang and Mongbung villages in Jiribam District. According to the Kuki Inpi, the assault began around 9:40 AM and was carried out by a combined force of Meitei State Forces and Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs), including the Arambai Tenggol.

The militants reportedly ambushed a combined team of the 20th Battalion CRPF and Jiribam District Police around 9:40 AM, leaving at least one CRPF jawan dead and another Manipur police officer injured. Police reports indicate that the combined security team was approaching Morbung Village under Jiribam District Police Station to conduct a search operation related to a firing incident that occurred on July 13. The injured included one CRPF jawan, who succumbed to a head bullet injury, and one sub-inspector (SI) from Jiribam Police Station.

On the other side, Meiteis allege that Kuki militants were responsible for the clash, saying the Kukis have unleashed rounds of indiscriminate firing and arson upon Meitei villages in the Jiribam district starting from late night of July 13. After a farmer’s club was torched around 1 am, the security forces were further ambushed in the morning by Kuki militants at Morbung village in Jiribam district.

N Biren Singh, the Chief Minister of Manipur has condemned the killing of a CRPF personnel through his Tweer. He wrote, “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.”

Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities since May last year, which has claimed more than 200 lives.