New Delhi: Two people were killed and at least six people were injured in Manipur in a drone attack on September 1, according to reports.
Ethnic violence began in the state a year and four months ago in May 2023, and has been going on ever since – killing hundreds, displaces tens of thousands and sharply dividing the state along ethnic lines. The attack comes after audio tapes put out in the public domain by The Wire after they were submitted to the Commission of Inquiry for Manipur Violence set up by the Union home ministry appear to implicate chief minister N. Biren Singh and his administration directly in the violence. Biren, whose administration has claimed the tapes are “doctored”, has been under considerable pressure to respond to them.
Manipur Police noted in a statement late on September 1 that the attack was “unprecedented”.
It said that it took place in Koutruk, Imphal West. The Hindu has reported that Sunday’s attack took place in the afternoon at Koutruk and Kadangband villages in the Meitei-dominated Imphal West district, which adjoins the Kuki-majority hill district of Kangpokpi.
The police statement claimed, “[A]lleged Kuki militants have deployed numerous RPGs using high-tech drones. While drone bombs have commonly been used in general warfares, this recent deployment of drones to deploy explosives against security forces and the civilians marks a significant escalation.”
Police has notably not named any Kuki organisation as responsible for the attack.
Among those injured are two police personnel and a television reporter, Indian Express has reported.
Police noted that a civilian, 31-year-old Ngangbam Surbala succumbed to bullet injuries sustained in the attack, while her eight-year-old daughter was injured. The police note said that two police personnel and three civilians sustained injuries.
The Express report quoted officials as identifying Surbala as a 35-year-old and her daughter as an 11-year-old.
The report quotes Manipur government’s home department as having called the incident an “act of terrorising unarmed villagers.”
The Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, has released a statement condemning the “recent calculated attempt to ambush Kuki-Zo civilians along the Kanggui-Lamka road, which led to a heavy exchange of fire between the combined forces of Arambai Tenggol, Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs), Meitei state forces, and our brave Kuki-Zo volunteers at about 2:00 P.M. in Kangchup region, Sadar Hills.”
They said that this was a deliberate attempt at continued aggression and “a stark reminder of the systemic violence being perpetrated against the Kuki-Zo people.”
