Manipur news: Miscreants attack villages, plant bomb in Imphal East; gunfight erupts

A heavy gunfight erupted between security forces and armed miscreants after the latter launched an attack on villagers in strife-torn Manipur’s Imphal East district on Wednesday, police said.

A heavy gunfight erupted between security forces and armed miscreants on Wednesday after the miscreants launched an attack on villagers in strife-torn Manipur’s Imphal East district, reported Hindustan Times.

“Armed miscreants from Seichand village in Kangpokpi district (a Kuki village) fired several rounds at Laikhong Seirang Loukol, while some farmers were working in the paddy field around 12.40pm. The 5/9 Gorkha Regiment (GR) retaliated, resulting in an exchange of fire. The miscreants fired around 200-300 rounds, and GR jawans also retaliated heavily, with the gunfight continuing for approximately 30 minutes,” Hindustan Times quoted a district police officer as saying.

However, no casualties were reported.

Bomb planted in Ukhrul:

Apart from this, miscreants also planted a bomb at the Zonal Education Office (ZEO) at Phungreitang in Ukhrul district on 6 November.

At around 9.15 am, the ZEO office staff discovered a suspicious plastic bag near the gate and immediately informed the Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel. Upon inspection, the bag was found to contain a hand grenade, leading to a formal complaint being lodged at Ukhrul police station.

Following this, the Ukhrul police quickly cordoned off the area around the ZEO office to prevent any potential incident. Later, at around 4pm, a bomb squad from Imphal safely detonated the device in an isolated area of Ukhrul town, police said.

No organisation has claimed responsibility for planting the bomb.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday expressed his satisfaction over the recent resolution passed at the Thadou Convention, which voiced support for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the state’s 'War on Drugs' campaign.

But he emphasised that the government would not compromise its policies in the name of bringing peace by accommodating outsiders.

With agency inputs.