Fresh violence in Manipur: 5 killed in Jiribam, rockets fired in Bishnupur

Manipur violence: Ethnic conflicts have been disrupting Manipur for the past 18 months, but the situation has escalated significantly in the past five days following a new surge of violence

A fresh wave of violence in Manipur's Jiribam district has resulted in the deaths of at least five persons. This incident occurred just one day after militants targetted two locations in Bishnupur with rockets, leading to the death of an elderly man and injuring five others.

A Hindustan Times report quoted a security force officer stationed in Manipur as saying that the death toll might rise. “The gunfight started in the morning after militants entered a village and killed a man. The killing was part of the ethnic clashes. The gunfight is on. We have reports that the ones who died are from both Kuki and Meitei communities," the officer said.

Ethnic conflicts have been disrupting Manipur for the past 18 months, but the situation has escalated significantly in the past five days following a new surge of violence. On Friday night, just hours after an elderly man was killed in Bishnupur, crowds in Imphal tried to raid the armories of the 2 Manipur Rifles and 7 Manipur Rifles. The security forces successfully foiled these attempts.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday called for an emergency cabinet meeting amid the rising cases of violence in the state.

Manipur clashes: Rocket attack

On Friday, the state experienced its first recorded use of rockets since the onset of conflict 17 months ago, according to officials. This occurred just six days after drones were first used as weapons. A late-night statement from the Manipur police revealed that Kuki militants deployed "long-range rockets".

In response to the escalating violence, the Manipur administration has ordered all educational institutions in the state to remain closed on Saturday.

The conflict, which has been marked by ethnic clashes between Kukis and Meiteis since May 3 last year, has intensified since Sunday. Militants have adopted new technologies, such as drones and rockets, adding another dimension to the violence while the use of rifles and grenades continues unabated.

A senior officer noted that the rockets fired on Friday were approximately four feet in length.