The Indian Reserve Battalion camp in Bishnupur's Naranseina
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were killed in action in a bomb attack by suspected Kuki insurgents on Saturday. Two others were injured in the attack at a camp of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Bishnupur district's Naranseina village, 45 km from the state capital Imphal.
A group of suspected Kuki insurgents came from the hills, which is only 2 km from the IRB camp, and when they reached a spot from the camp which was within their gun range, they opened up, police sources said.
The insurgents used a crude form of handmade 'artillery' called the 'pumpy gun' which can shoot a fist-sized, mortar round-like explosive projectile, sources said.
Top police sources said the attack comes six days before the first anniversary of the start of the Manipur crisis. They said militants hiding in the hills are likely to increase attacks in the coming days.
The two soldiers who died in action belonged to the CRPF's 128 Battalion. They have been identified as sub-inspector N Sarkar and head constable Arup Saini. The injured are inspector Jadav Das and constable Aftab Das.
The attack began around midnight and went on till 2.15 am, sources said.
Many central force personnel have been redeployed for election duty. About a kilometre away from the camp lies an area known as Upper Canal, where central security forces used to be posted since it was designated as a sensitive area after violence broke out in Manipur in May last year.
"The militants fired indiscriminately from hilltops, targetting the camp. It started around 12.30 am and continued till about 2.15 am. The militants also hurled bombs, one of which exploded in the outpost of CRPF's 128 battalion," a senior police officer said, news agency PTI reported.
A massive combing operation is going on in the area to track down the insurgents, police said.
Heavy gunfights broke out between Meitei and Kuki-Zo armed groups in August and September 2023 in and around Naranseina. Both sides call themselves "village defence volunteers", a definition of the belligerents in Manipur that has become the most controversial since nothing stops these "volunteers" from killing people under the insurance provided by "in self-defence".
The valley is primarily inhabited by the Meitei community, while the hills in Manipur's south and some other areas are dominated by the Kuki-Zo tribes.