A woman was killed and 10 others were injured in Manipur on Sunday when militants opened fire and dropped grenades using drones, in likely the first bombing of its kind in the strife-torn state, police said.
Injured women undergo treatment after the militant attack, at a hospital at Koutruk in Imphal on Sunday.(ANI)
Officials said the attack took place around 2pm near the border between Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts when shots were fired from nearby hills. Imphal West is dominated by Meiteis and Kukis are a majority in Kangpokpi.
The Manipur Police blamed “alleged Kuki militants” for what it said was a “significant escalation” using tactics “commonly used in general warfare”. The Kuki Inpi Manipur, an apex body of the community, said the heavy firing took place “after an alleged attempt to ambush Kuki-Zo civilians along Kanggui-Lamka road.”
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The gunfight between the militants and security personnel continued late into the evening, confirmed officials, with state and central units involved in the operation.
The victim was identified as Ngangbam Ongbi Surbala (35), who was shot in the head, according to police. Surbala’s relatives said she was visiting her maternal home with her 11-year-old daughter, who was shot in her right arm.
Of the people who were injured, including a local journalist covering the initial attack, five were hit by bullets and the rest hurt by splinters from the grenades dropped by drones, said police officers and residents.
“While drone bombs have commonly been used in general warfare, this recent deployment of drones to deploy explosives against security forces and the civilians marks a significant escalation,” said the statement by the Manipur Police blaming Kuki militants.
“The involvement of highly trained professionals, possibly with technical expertise and support, cannot be ruled out. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and the police are prepared to respond to any contingency that may arise,” the statement added.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur in its statement urged the Centre to take “immediate and decisive action against the state government”, which it has previously accused of acting with bias against the Kuki-Zo tribal population.
Sunil Ningthoujam, a resident of the village who is related to Surbala and a general secretary of the village peace committee, said he saw two drones minutes before the bombs were dropped. “Some of the houses in the village are still burning because of the bombs. I saw two drones flying over our village before it dropped the bomb,” he said.
Sunday afternoon’s attack is perhaps the first instance of drones being militarised during the ethnic conflict in the northeastern state that has raged for 16 months, claimed 227 lives and left thousands displaced.
Previously, militants and village defence volunteers used drones for surveillance alone.
A senior security officer posted in Manipur who asked not to be named, said, “People in the hills have a strategic advantage if they use drones to drop bombs. The villages in the foothills are Meitei villages. During the conflict, militants from hills were mainly using Pumpi guns, which are country-made mortars and effective. But this is the first time we have come across reports of drones being used to drop bombs.”
The security officer said while the state was relatively peaceful, the attack on Sunday was a result of militants trying to disrupt the measures that the Centre and its forces are taking at different levels.
The incident comes a day after Kuki-Zo groups carried out protest rallies against chief minister N Biren Singh in their dominant districts of Kangpokpi and Churachandpur.
The Manipur home department, in a statement, condemned the attack.
“Such acts of creating havoc among the unarmed villagers, reportedly by Kuki militants, are seen as attempts to derail the efforts taken by the state government to establish peace in the State. These acts are condemned very strongly. The state government has already taken immediate action to control the situation and to punish those who were involved in today’s attack on Koutruk Village, Imphal West,” said the statement.
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