A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was killed in a gun battle by suspected militants at Mongbung village in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Sunday morning. Another CRPF jawan and two state police commandos sustained bullet injuries, Manipur police said.
The Manipur police said that armed miscreants and combined state and central security forces began exchanging fire at around 9.30 am in Mongbung and Seijang villages of Jiribam district. During the gun-battle, one CRPF jawan was hit on his forehead. He was evacuated to Jiribam District Hospital; however, the hospital authorities declared him dead.
The deceased has been identified as Ajay Kumar Jha, 43, a resident of Bihar.
The other injured are receiving treatment at Jiribam District Hospital. The gunfight stopped at around 11.30 am, the state police added.
Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the attack on the security forces and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Taking to the microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Singh said “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,” he added.
Another police officer said that after today's attack on security forces, additional forces have been called from the adjacent hill areas and deployed at the Mongbung village.
A vehicle belonging to security personnel has been damaged in the gun battle, he added.
It is important to note that the state has been rocked by ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities since May last year, which has claimed more than 200 lives so far.
