Manipur: Armed men who attacked CRPF camp miss machine gun-mounted vehicle parked outside; get killed

It was a pricey error of judgment on the part of the 10 armed militants, who opened fire at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Manipur on Monday, which cost them their lives. The attack happened at Jakuradhor in Manipur’s Jiribam district.

The militants, clad in camouflage uniforms, came armed with sophisticated weapons to attack the CRPF camp but got killed instantly.

The militants first attacked Meitei settlements such as Lamtai Khunou and Jakuradhor Karong around 4 am. They targeted shops and relief camps. Around 3 pm, they attacked a CRPF post and the Borobekra police station. The militants’ plan reportedly was to keep the CRPF and Police engaged while another group of 40-50 armed men unleashed violence on settlements.

However, while targeting the camp, the militants failed to notice a CRPF bulletproof multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) stationed outside the camp, an unnamed officer told The Indian Express. The MPV had a Light Machine Gun mounted on it.

The personnel in the MPV immediately opened fire with the Machine Gun and most of the militants died in the first burst of gunfire. Only one CRPF personnel was hurt in the gunfire exchange which lasted for about 30 minutes.

The incident happened near the hills of the neighbouring Pherzawl district dominated by the Hmar community. The Hmars are a sub-tribe of Kuku-Zo and all the armed men come from the community. The Hmar Students’ Association, a tribal body representing the Hmars, later alleged that the deceased were their “village volunteers” and their deaths were a “premeditated massacre” carried out by the CRPF and Meitei.

These allegations were dismissed by the security officials, who said nine of the 10 killed were from Churachandpur, which was 200 km away. The police also recovered AK 47 rifles, SLRs and an RPG from them.

However, the Kuki-Zo community observed a shutdown on Tuesday in their majority areas to protest the killing.

Meanwhile, six people went missing from the relief camp after the gunfight. These six persons who went missing lived in a relief camp on the premises of the police station.

The search for them have begun and senior officers of the Manipur Police have arrived at Jiribam district to oversee the search operation.

The six people who went missing include three women and three children, they said. These people are believed to be kidnapped by retreating militants after their attack was thwarted by security forces.