Gunfight Erupts Between Security Forces And Armed Miscreants In Manipur

A fierce gunfight broke out between security forces and armed assailants in Manipur’s Imphal East district on Wednesday after the assailants launched an attack on local villagers, according to police reports.

The confrontation between the Gorkha Regiment (GR) personnel and the armed group lasted around 30 minutes in the Imphal East region.

According to a district police officer, “Assailants from Seichand village in Kangpokpi district, identified as a Kuki village, opened fire on Laikhong Seirang Loukol near a group of farmers in the paddy fields at approximately 12:40 p.m. The 5/9 Gorkha Regiment retaliated, resulting in an intense exchange of gunfire. The attackers fired about 200-300 rounds, with GR jawans responding heavily. The exchange lasted around half an hour.” Fortunately, no injuries or casualties were reported.

In a separate incident in Ukhrul district, a suspected bomb threat surfaced at the Zonal Education Office (ZEO) in Phungreitang. Around 9:15 a.m., staff discovered a suspicious plastic bag near the gate and alerted the Village Defence Force (VDF), who found a hand grenade in the bag. A formal report was lodged at Ukhrul police station.

The police quickly cordoned off the area, and by 4 p.m., a bomb squad from Imphal safely detonated the device in an isolated location in Ukhrul town. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the threat.

In yet another incident that day, armed assailants reportedly fired twice at Koutruk village in Imphal West from the neighboring Kangpokpi district around 3:15 p.m., but state forces did not engage.

The previous day, an attack on Thamnapokpi village in Imphal East by unidentified miscreants involved two gunshots, but police and central forces were unable to locate the perpetrators. The motive remains unclear as authorities continue to investigate the incidents.