3 Border Force Personnel Injured In Fresh Mob Violence In Manipur

Imphal:

In yet another incident of violence in Manipur, three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured last night when a mob attacked police headquarters in Thoubal district. The mob violence took place hours after two commandos were killed in the border down of Moreh, less than a 100 km from Thoubal, after armed militants attacked a police team last morning.

According to police, the mob first targeted the complex of 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion in Thoubal’s Khangabok area. Security personnel managed to disperse the mob using “minimum necessary force”, the police added.

Today (17.01.2024), an irate mob targeted the 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion (3IRB) in Khangabok, Thoubal District. Security forces repelled them using the minimum necessary force. Further, the mob attempted to breach Thoubal Police Headquarters, prompting the security forces to…

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) January 17, 2024

“Further, the mob attempted to breach Thoubal Police Headquarters, prompting the security forces to use legal force. Armed miscreants from among the mob fired with live rounds. As a result, 03 (three) personnel from BSF sustained bullet injuries namely (i) Constable Gourav Kumar, (ii) ASI Sobram Singh, and (iii) ASI Ramji,” the police said in a statement posted on X.

The injured BSF personnel, they said, have been evacuated and admitted to an Imphal hospital.

Sporadic incidents of violence have kept Manipur on the edge for months now since ethnic violence broke out in the state last year over the Meitie community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The demand was opposed by the tribal Kuki-Zo community.

Amid the ethnic clashes, weapons were looted from security installations, arming militants and fuelling a cycle of violence. 

Following the attack in Moreh yesterday, an emergency meeting was held at the Chief Minister’s secretariat. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, his cabinet colleagues and MLAs were present at the meeting.