Manipur Chief Minister, N Biren Singh, has expressed sorrow over the murder of six people by alleged Kuki militants last week and promised that those responsible for the horrific deed will soon face justice.
Biren Singh said in his first response since a new wave of violence broke out in the state riven by conflict, search activities are ongoing to uncover the killers of the three women and children whose remains were discovered from a river in Jiribam district last week. The massacre of women and children is a crime against humanity, he added.
“Today, I stand here with profound sadness and anger to condemn the horrific killings of three innocent children and three innocent women by Kuki terrorists after being taken hostage at Jiribam,” Singh said in a video that was shared on his X account.
“No civilized society can tolerate such savage behavior. I can promise you that the search for these terrorists is still under progress and that they will be apprehended shortly. Until they are held responsible for their barbaric acts, we won’t stop,” he continued.
The six had been missing from a Jiribam camp for the displaced since November 11, when ten rebels were killed in a battle between militants and security forces.
Singh also expressed gratitude to the CRPF for their prompt action in Jiribam in his statement on Wednesday.
“Approximately 40 to 50 armed terrorists attacked a police station in Jiribam and attacked internally displaced people living in a relief camp at Borobekra,” Biren Singh stated.
“They wanted to instill terror and devastation. However, the attack was repulsed because of the prompt and decisive response of the CRPF soldiers stationed there. Their prompt action eliminated 10 of those terrorists on the spot, saving hundreds of innocent lives in relief camps,” he continued.
For nearly 18 months, Manipur has been engulfed in violence, and there are no indications that the ethnic strife will stop. More than a year after it was removed from six places, the Center reinstated Afspa last week amid the escalating crisis, sparking new protests in the Imphal valley.
Despite the existence of buffer zones guarded by security forces, the violence has virtually split Manipur into two ethnic enclaves: the Kuki-majority hills and the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley.
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