Fresh attack reported at Manipur’s Koutruk; NIA begins probe in drone bombings case

Fresh violence was reported on Wednesday night from Manipur’s Koutruk Ching Leikai district, police said.

According to police, around 11:10pm, the alleged attackers from the Kuki community, used gunfire and bombs aimed at the village. State forces stationed at the area retaliated with several rounds of gunfire, but no casualties were reported.

“Some suspected Kuki militants were seen with torch light coming down from nearby hills, police fired some rounds in the air however the armed miscreants fired towards the security forces. exchange of firing continued till around 2am”, a senior police officer from district police Imphal West said.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with the Manipur Police, has begun its probe in the drone bombing case in the above cited Koutruk village in Imphal West on Wednesday.

This marks the NIA’s first on-site investigation since the case was handed over to the agency.

Also Read: Central panel to probe Manipur drone attacks

The suspected September 1 attack by members of the Kuki community on Koutruk village, which claimed the life of 31-year-old Ngangbam Surbala and injured her minor daughter, was the first drone bombing targeting a village housing people from the Meitei community, in the conflict-torn state.

Initially, the case was handled by the Imphal West Police, but it was later transferred to the NIA on September 19.

Three drone bombing incidents took place in Manipur, twice in Koutruk on September 1 and September 2.

Another one on September 2 at around 4:10am with Kuki militants using drone bombs, mortars and gunfire attacked the 8th IRB bunker at Meikhan near Sinam Khul, Imphal East.

Manipur has been in turmoil since May 3 last year in which at least 221 people have been killed, around 60,000 people have been displaced, over 13,000 structures have been demolished. Thousands of arms and ammunition looted from the state armouries are yet to be recovered but police have been putting efforts on recovering the looted weapons.