Fri Nov 22 17:01:51 UTC 2024: **Eight Dead in Manipur: Family Among Victims of Kuki Militant Attack**
JIRIBAM, Manipur—The bodies of eight people, including six members of the same family, were returned to Jiribam, Manipur, today after being recovered from a river in neighboring Assam. The victims, all from the Meitei community, were killed in a targeted attack by Kuki militants on November 11th.
The six family members—a woman, her infant child, her two-year-old son, her mother, her sister, and her sister’s daughter—were taken hostage and later found murdered. Their deaths have sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from political leaders across party lines. The Manipur government has officially designated the perpetrators as Kuki terrorists and is pushing for them to be classified as an unlawful organization.
Two additional Meitei senior citizens were also killed in the same attack in Borobekra village, preceding a 45-minute clash between the militants and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). While the CRPF and police refer to the attackers as militants armed with assault rifles and an RPG launcher, Kuki groups claim they were village volunteers.
The incident follows a series of escalating attacks between the Meitei and Kuki communities, including a November 7th attack on Zairawn Hmar village by suspected Meitei militants, which allegedly resulted in the rape, murder, and burning of a school teacher. The Kuki groups claim the November 11th attack was retaliation for this earlier incident. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is currently investigating these incidents.
Authorities have completed autopsies, but the release of the reports has been delayed amid concerns about escalating public unrest. The family is yet to receive the reports. Local residents express fears that immediate release of the findings could reignite tensions following recent vandalism targeting MLAs’ homes. The ongoing violence highlights the deeply entrenched conflict and the urgent need for de-escalation efforts in the region.
First Piper 