Militant Attack in Manipur Leaves Two Dead, Nine Injured

Two people, including a woman, were killed, and nine others, including a police officer and the deceased woman’s minor daughter, were injured in an attack by suspected militants in the valley area of Manipur on Sunday. According to Manipur Director General of Police Rajiv Singh, heavily armed militants indiscriminately fired from a hilltop and hurled bombs at the lower valley areas of Kotruk and neighboring Kadangband in Imphal West district. A 31-year-old woman from the Meitei community, identified as Ngangbam Surabala Devi, and a villager were killed in the incident, while nine others, including Devi’s eight-year-old daughter and a police officer, sustained injuries.

The sudden attack caused panic and tension, forcing many villagers, including women, children, and the elderly, to flee to safer locations. The injured, including the woman’s daughter and police officer N. Robert, were rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and other hospitals for treatment. Several houses were also damaged during the firing and bomb attacks. Security forces, including a large contingent of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel and state forces, promptly launched a search operation to apprehend the militants.

In response to the attack, the Manipur Home Department released a statement condemning the incident, describing it as an attack on unarmed villagers using drones, bombs, and sophisticated weapons. The statement attributed the attack to Kuki militants and emphasized the seriousness with which the state government views such acts of terror, especially while efforts are underway to restore peace and normalcy in the region. The government assured that action has been initiated to control the situation and bring those responsible to justice.

This attack is the second killing in Manipur within a month. On August 11, Charubala Haokip, the 59-year-old wife of former MLA Yumthong Haokip, was killed in an explosion in Ekou Mullam, a tribal-dominated area in Kangpokpi district. Charubala, who belonged to the Meitei community, was seriously injured in the blast and succumbed to her injuries at a community health center in Saikul. Her husband, Yumthong, is from the Kuki-jo community.