Three children, including a two-year-old, and three women have gone missing from Jiribam in Manipur following an encounter between suspected Kuki insurgents and security forces on Sunday. The Manipur Police reported that the incident occurred near the Assam border, and they are currently conducting a search operation for the missing individuals. Authorities confirmed that the security forces would retaliate if attacked. The search is being carried out by the Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
During a press conference, a senior police officer revealed that 13 internally displaced people were initially reported missing from Jiribam, of whom two bodies were found, five were located, and six are still unaccounted for. The bodies of two senior citizens from the Meitei community were discovered in a structure set on fire by militants.
The encounter began around 2:30 pm when suspected Kuki militants attacked Borobekra police station and then moved towards a nearby CRPF camp. The militants were reportedly armed with an RPG launcher, INSAS rifles, and AK assault rifles. In response, CRPF personnel returned fire, and the gunfight lasted approximately 45 minutes. The security forces later found 10 bodies at the scene. Several homes in the area were also set on fire during the attack.
Civil society groups representing the Kuki tribes have contested the police version of events, claiming the 10 individuals killed were not insurgents but “village volunteers.” They are calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The violence in Jiribam is part of a broader surge in tensions in Manipur. The latest clashes follow a deadly attack on a village of the Hmar tribe by suspected Meitei insurgents last Thursday, in which a woman was killed. Her husband has alleged she was shot, raped, and then burned by the attackers. Meanwhile, the killing of a Meitei woman by suspected Kuki militants in Bishnupur the following day has further escalated tensions, with competing allegations from both sides about who was responsible.
In response to the killings in Jiribam, the Meitei community has organized candlelight vigils, a shutdown in the Imphal valley, and silent protests. The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) has also issued a statement calling for “non-cooperation” with the CRPF in Kuki-majority areas, demanding that no CRPF personnel be allowed to leave their camps. The Kuki community also alleges that the CRPF opened fire without provocation during the Jiribam encounter, although the security forces have released images of weapons recovered from the scene, including an RPG launcher and assault rifles.
