A shutdown called by Kuki-Zo groups, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) and Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), disrupted normal life in Manipur’s Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts on Saturday.
The groups were protesting a statement made by Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh, in which he claimed that militants had entered the state from outside.
The shutdown led to the closure of markets and commercial establishments in the two districts, with vehicles staying off the roads, according to officials. Meanwhile, fresh violence was reported from a village in Jiribam, adding to the tensions in the region.
Singh had on September 20 claimed that security forces have taken a number of steps in the wake of reports that “900 militants” who have entered the state might carry out violence in peripheral villages of Imphal valley districts.
The state government on Wednesday, however, retracted the statement, asserting that the likelihood of “any such misadventures by armed groups is minimal and unsubstantiated”.
Meanwhile, fresh violence was reported from a village in Jiribam district, police said.
Armed men fired indiscriminately at Mongbung village from nearby hilltops and surrounding dense forests, prompting retaliation from ‘village volunteers’, they said.
Women, children and elderly people were moved to safer places following the violence, police said.
Security forces were deployed to control the situation, they said, adding that no casualties were reported.
On Friday, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was seized by security forces from Kangpokpi, Churachandpur and Thoubal districts.
A joint team of Manipur Police and Assam Rifles seized two .303 rifles, one 9mm pistol with magazine, cartridges, four hand grenades, two detonators, and one each of country-made mortar and long-range improvised mortar from the Loiching ridge in Kangpokpi district, police said.
The combined forces of state police, BSF and CRPF seized two improvised mortars, locally known as ‘pumpi’, during another search operation in Gothol village in Churachandpur district.
The state police and Assam Rifles also seized four HE-36 hand grenades, two ‘pumpi’ shells, three detonators, and one stun grenade, stinger grenade and tear gas shell each from Phainom hill range in Thoubal district.
Source: Shafaqna India