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1 CRPF soldier killed, 3 hurt in Manipur battle
CRPF jawan killed, another injured in ambush by suspected militants in Manipur's Jirbam district. Ethnic clashes continue in strife-torn Manipur.
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was killed and another injured, along with two Manipur Police commandos, in an ambush by suspected militants in the Jirbam district of strife-torn Manipur on Sunday, officers aware of the matter said.
According to Jiribam’s additional superintendent of police, Thomas Thokchom, a joint team of CRPF and state police came under fire in the area adjoining the Mongbung and Sejang village during a routine patrol. CRPF jawan Ajay Kumar Jha, a resident of Bihar, was wounded during the attack and rushed to the Jiribam district hospital, he added.
“He suffered bullet injuries to the head and was declared ‘dead on arrival’ at the hospital,” the officer said, adding that another CRPF jawan and two state police commandos were injured in the ambush. They were undergoing treatment at the district hospital, where their condition was stable.
In a post on X, CRPF commended 43-year-old Jha for his service and extended condolences to his family.
“On 14 July 2024, during an ambush by militants on a joint party of 20 Battalion CRPF and State Police at Jiribam, Manipur, brave Constable Driver Ajay Kumar Jha sacrificed his life in the line of duty. CRPF salutes our brave soldier’s indomitable courage, valour and devotion to the motherland. We always stand with the family of our brave man,” it said.
Located around 220km from Imphal near the Assam border, Jiribam is home to Meiteis, Kukis, Bengalis, Nepalis, Nagas, and other communities. It had remained largely peaceful despite the state being roiled in clashes, with Meitei and Kuki groups pledging not to indulge in violence during a meeting at the police superintendent’s office in June last year. However, the killing of 59-year-old S Saratkumar Singh, a resident of the village, last month brought the district to the boil and forced many to flee the region as the houses of both Kuki and Metei community members were set ablaze by mobs.
Thomas said that one Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) militant was also critically injured in the ensuing gunfight and was undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical Hospital in Assam. KLA was one of the signatories to the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement sealed between the Centre and 25 armed Kuki armed groups in 2008. The agreement, however, currently hangs in limbo as there is no clarity either on its renewal or abrogation from the central government.
Chief minister N Biren Singh said Jha was killed in firing by “suspected Kuki militants”.
“I strongly condemn the killing of a CRPF personnel in an attack carried out by an armed group, suspected to be Kuki militants. His supreme sacrifice in the line of duty shall not go in vain. I further extend my sincere condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased soldier, while praying for the speedy recovery of the ones injured during the attack,” the CM said in a post on X.
The state government’s decision to send teams of Manipur Police commandos to the district in June met with opposition from tribal groups, who have accused the unit of targeting people from the Kuki community and their properties. In Moreh district, Kuki militants attacked Manipur commandos at their camps in January and February, resulting in two deaths.
In a statement on Sunday, Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), an apex body of the Kuki community, asked the state government to withdraw all “Meitei central forces” from Kuki-Zo areas.
“KIM urgently calls upon the Government of India to ensure the safety and security, as well as lasting peace and stability, for the Kuki-Zo people. It further makes an urgent call to the concerned authorities to withdraw all Meitei central forces from Kuki-Zo areas and prohibit the Meitei state forces from operating in Kuki-Zo areas,” it said.
Since May 2023, Manipur has been rocked by ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei community and the tribal Kukis, with other communities increasingly getting sucked into the violence that has continued unabated. Over the past 10 months, at least 220 people, including security personnel, have lost their lives, and over 50,000 people have been displaced.
