Guwahati: After a brief lull, violence once again erupted in the restive northeastern state of Manipur on Monday with the killing of two tribal persons, including an India Reserve Battalion (IRB) jawan and the driver of the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in which he was travelling, in an ambush by unidentified armed miscreants at the Munlai junction of Khonsakhul-L area in the state’s Kangpokpi district.
Following the incident, the security forces immediately launched massive search and combing operations in the entire area to nab the perpetrators behind the attack and deployed additional forces.
The deceased have been identified as Henminlen Vaiphei, a 6th IRB personnel, and the driver of the vehicle Thangminlun Hangshing. While Vaiphei was a resident of Mission Veng, Leimakhong in the state’s Senapati district, Hangshing was a resident of Khunkhu Kuki village in the same district.
“On 20.11.2023, at Khonsakhul-L. Munlai Junction, Kangpokpi, two individuals, including one police personnel of 6th IRB namely Henminlen Vaiphei, lost their lives in an ambush by unidentified armed assailants while traveling in a Maruti Gypsy. Security forces immediately launched search operations in the area to nab the culprits,” the Manipur police said in a post on X late Monday night.
While strongly condemning the “unprovoked attack” in a press note, the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), a tribal civil society body, has unanimously declared an “emergency shutdown” in Kangpokpi district. The organisation called for an early materialisation of the demand for a “separate administration” for the hill districts of the state.
The organisation further said that the Union Home Ministry must take into account the continuous attacks and that “political separation” is the only option left.
Over 180 lost their lives while many were displaced since the ethnic clashes broke out in the state on May 3 after a protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.