A large safety deployment has been made in Kangpokpi district, Manipur, following a violent mob assault on the workplace of Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Prabhakar on Friday night. The assault left the SP and several other others injured, escalating tensions within the area already fraught with ethnic violence.
Officers reported that the mob focused the SP’s workplace over the continued deployment of central armed forces, significantly the BSF and CRPF, in Saibol village. Movies from the scene confirmed armed people in camouflage clothes on the streets and vandalised autos throughout the SP workplace compound. The protesters reportedly used stones, projectiles, and petrol bombs in the course of the assault.
SP Prabhakar, injured by a projectile, is claimed to be recovering and main joint safety efforts to stabilize the state of affairs. “The state of affairs is now below management and is being carefully monitored,” a senior officer in Imphal acknowledged.
Background of incident
The unrest stems from protests by Kuki teams in opposition to safety forces’ operations in Saibol village. On December 31, girls from the group have been allegedly baton-charged whereas blocking safety forces from occupying group bunkers. This led to widespread anger and protests, with the Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) blocking Nationwide Freeway 2, a significant provide path to the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley.
Saibol is situated in a tense “buffer zone” between Kuki-held hills and the Meitei-dominated valley, the place sporadic clashes between armed teams have injured civilians and safety personnel. Latest gunfights within the close by Thamnapokpi and Sanasabi villages left 4 individuals injured, prompting safety forces to conduct operations to dismantle bunkers and restore order.
Ongoing safety operations
In response to Friday’s violence, safety forces have intensified operations and elevated their presence in Kangpokpi. “Sufficient power was used to disperse the mob, and the state of affairs was introduced below management,” a police assertion mentioned.
With tensions operating excessive, the state stays on edge as authorities try to quell unrest and navigate the advanced ethnic battle that has claimed over 250 lives since Might 2023.