In a surprising development, the Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) has withdrawn support from Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s government in Manipur, three months after violence broke out in the state.
The party, which has two MLAs in the state Assembly, said in a letter to the Governor, “After careful consideration of the current conflagration, the continued support for the incumbent government of Manipur led by Chief Minister N.Biren Singh is no longer fructuous. Accordingly, the support of the KPA to the Government of Manipur is hereby withdrawn and can be considered null and void.”
Meanwhile, six people, including a father-son duo, lost their lives in strife-torn Manipur over the last 24 hours. Close to 16 people sustained injuries in day-long attacks along the Bishnupur-Churachandpur border areas that occurred since early Saturday morning. The Army on Sunday launched a major combing operation in the area, in which at least one insurgent was arrested after sustaining bullet injuries in the firing. According to sources, the Central government has decided to rush 10 additional companies of central forces to the state.
In view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, there will be no curfew relaxation in the Imphal East and Imphal West districts today, police authorities announced. Saturday was among the deadliest days in a fortnight that the state of Manipur witnessed, as several places along the Bishnupur-Churachandpur border reported day-long mortar and grenade attacks in a heavy exchange of fire from both sides. Three unarmed villagers, including a father-son duo, were killed in a pre-dawn attack on a village in the Kwakta area of Bishnupur district yesterday. The victims were living in relief camps but had returned on Friday to guard their village, abandoned after villagers fled to camps when violence first erupted in early May.
Sources in the security forces said that two of the men were also struck with sharp weapons on different parts of their bodies before they were shot at close range. Retaliatory attacks soon started, and armed men reportedly opened fire, and used mortar shells and grenades in Kwakta’s two neighbouring villages, Phoujang and Songdo, which fall in the Churachandpur district, killing two people and injuring a few others. One person was killed while three others suffered gunshot injuries, including a police commando, in a simultaneous attack that took place at Terakhongsangbi, in the Bishnupur district. There were also reports of shooting by unidentified men in Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi villages in the Imphal East district. No casualties were reported. Unidentified mobs also burnt down houses at Langgol in Imphal West district. Massive protests against the killing took place in Imphal as well.
Manipur BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh, who is also the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, on Saturday, launched an attack at central security forces, claiming there were huge “security lapses” in the attack in the Bishnupur district that killed three people, and demanded action against the paramilitary force personnel for their “negligence in duty”. The Manipur Police on Friday said joint forces conducted search operations in vulnerable and fringe areas of the strife-torn state and destroyed seven illegal bunkers after fresh violence broke out across various districts.