Militants set ablaze police outpost, houses in Manipur's Jiribam district
Suspected militants torched a police outpost and several houses in the Jiribam district of Manipur in a late-night attack, PTI reported. The assault on the Jiri police outpost, situated near the Barak river in the Chotobekra area, occurred around 12:30am. The attackers, believed to be hill-based militants, also initiated multiple attacks in Lamtai khunou and Modhupur areas of the district, roughly 220km from Imphal, the state capital.
Commando contingent airlifted, MP urges protection for Jiribam
Following the attacks, a commando contingent of Manipur Police was airlifted from Imphal to Jiribam on Saturday morning to aid in security operations against the militants. Nearly 239 people, primarily women and children, have also been evacuated from their villages. They are currently sheltered at a sports complex in Jiri town, officials reported. Meanwhile, newly elected Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, representing the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, urged the state government to safeguard lives and properties in Jiribam district.
Ethnic tensions reignite in previously unaffected Jiribam district
On June 6, the Jiribam district administration imposed an indefinite curfew in the district following the killing of a 59-year-old man, allegedly by militants. The killing reignited ethnic tensions in the Jiribam district, which had previously remained untouched by the ongoing violence in Manipur since May last year. The ethnic strife between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kukis has killed over 200 individuals and left hundreds homeless.
