Violence in Manipur continues: Gunfire erupts in Jiribam; drones spotted earlier

Imphal, Sept. 18: Violence in Manipur shows no sign of abating. On Tuesday night, suspected militants launched a fresh gun attack on Mongbung Meitei village in Jiribam district, according to police reports.

The militants fired several rounds from sophisticated weapons around 7 pm, prompting retaliation from village volunteers. Security forces quickly arrived at the scene to contain the situation, with both sides ceasing fire around 8 pm.

The attack is believed to have originated from nearby Mongbung Kuki village and adjacent areas. No injuries were reported, police confirmed.

Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have urged local villagers to cooperate with security forces during ongoing operations, another official told The Assam Tribune.

Notably, villagers had reported multiple drones flying over Mongbung Meitei village in recent days, alerting security forces to the unusual activity.

In a related development, security forces recently destroyed a dug-out bunker fortified with sandbags in Mongbung village, Jiribam district. The bunker reportedly housed weapons, including pistols, guns, grenades, and ammunition rounds.

The Manipur Police have stated that search operations are being conducted regularly in the "fringe and vulnerable areas" of the hill and valley districts.

In a separate incident, security forces recovered a locally made single-barrel gun, an SLR magazine, live ammunition rounds, and other items during search operations in Chanung and C Zoulen villages in Imphal East district on Monday.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister, in a press meet in Delhi on Tuesday, acknowledged last week's sporadic violence in Manipur but noted that the overall situation had remained calm for the past three months."We have prepared a roadmap and are taking all necessary steps to ensure peace," he said.