A part of one of the rockets fired in Manipur’s Bishnupur district. (Viral photo via X)
Imphal: Terror struck the town of Moirang in Manipur’s Bishnupur district when a rocket attack targeted the residence of Manipur’s late first chief minister, Mairembam Koireng Singh, and killed one man, on Friday. The early-afternoon attack, suspected to have been carried out by militants from the neighbouring Churachandpur district, left the town community in shock.
The deceased has been identified as RK Rabei Singh, 72, a local preparing for an upcoming religious ceremony. Five others, including a 13-year-old girl, were wounded in the attack, which took place at around 3.10pm.
The rocket, fired from the hills of the Kuki-majority Churachandpur district, landed dangerously close to the former chief minister’s residence in the Meitei-majority Bishnupur district. As family members worked to set up a pandal for the ceremony, chaos erupted when the projectiles hit, sending splinters flying. In addition to the loss of life, concrete structures were damaged in the blast.
The site of the attack is very close to the Indian National Army Museum in Moirang town.
Earlier on Friday, at around 4am, a similar rocket attack occurred in the nearby village of Tronglaobi, causing damage to property but no casualties. These incidents are significant as they mark the first time rockets have been used since the ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities began in May 2023.
These rocket attacks came just days after a series of deadly drone strikes rocked Imphal West district. On September 1 and 2, bombs were dropped from improvised drones on the Koutruk and Senjam Chirang areas. The drone assaults left two people dead, including a woman, and injured several others. There have been claims and counterclaims on who used these drones for the deadly attacks.
Nonetheless, this was the first time drones had been weaponized in the ongoing violence, intensifying the already tense situation.
Following Friday’s rocket attack, violence escalated further in the state. Six people were killed in fresh violence on Saturday morning in the state’s Jiribam district. Suspected Kuki insurgents attacked Nungchappi village in the district and killed an elderly Meitei man, who has been identified as Yurembam Kulendra Singha, 63. Five others were also killed in fierce clashes between armed Meitei and Kuki groups.
In Imphal, the inspector general of police (intelligence), K Kabib, told reporters on Saturday, “Yesterday, some Kuki militants attacked and fired at some fringe areas including Bishnupur and Churachandpur border. In response to that, combined teams of the security forces conducted combing operations.”
He informed that the security forces have destroyed two bunkers that were previously occupied by militants, adding, “After that, there was a long-range rocket fire from the hills by Kuki militants at Moirang, in which one senior citizen was killed and six others were injured.”
“This morning, the Kuki militants attacked a village in Jiribam, killing a senior citizen. The militants kept firing and ran away. Some village volunteers retaliated, and when the Jiribam police reached the area, they were fired at, after which the police also fired back,” Kabib said.
Video: Official Press briefing by @manipur_police about the recent incidents of the last 2 days.
— Johnson (@johnson63866214) September 7, 2024
PB by IPS, Intelligence K. Kabib and IGP K. Jayanta Singh. #KukiTerrorism #Manipur #MissileAttack #RocketAttack pic.twitter.com/uvyhwkGnqr
The “village volunteers” Kabib referred to are armed and violent Kuki and Meitei vigilante groups, who call themselves “village defence volunteers”. These groups have become a major problem for the security forces who are trying to control the violence in the state. Many insurgents have blended with the villagers to form these groups, who claim to have taken the responsibility in their own hands to protect their communities from violence.
The ethnic strife, which has persisted for over 17 months, has already claimed more than 225 lives and displaced tens of thousands.
In response to the recent attacks, residents across Manipur, particularly in the five Imphal Valley districts, formed human chains to protest the escalating violence. The protesters condemned the government’s perceived inaction and demanded stronger measures to protect civilians and maintain Manipur’s territorial integrity.
In light of the growing unrest, the Manipur government ordered all schools in the state to remain closed on Saturday, citing safety concerns for students and teachers. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which is a joint body of Meitei civil society organizations, declared an indefinite “public emergency”.
