Guwahati: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s advance security team which was travelling to Jiribam is reportedly ambushed by alleged militants at T. Laijang near Kotlen on National Highway 37 in Jiribam road on Monday morning at around 10.30 am.
There are reports that one security personnel has been injured in the ambush.
The Chief Minister was slated to visit the trouble-torn Jiribam district on Tuesday to take stock of the current situation.
The Manipur police commandos and Assam Rifles have formed a joint team and search operations are going on to trace the perpetrators.
The unrest began on Thursday (June 06) evening when a 59-year-old man, Soibam Saratkumar Singh, from one community was allegedly killed by militants from another community.
Singh had gone missing after leaving for his farm in the morning, and his body was later discovered with wounds inflicted by a sharp object, according to police sources.
Following the killing, enraged locals set an abandoned structure on fire in retaliation.
A protest was also staged in front of the Jiribam police station, where residents demanded the return of their licensed firearms, which had been confiscated during the elections.
Jiribam, known for its diverse ethnic composition—including Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis, and non-Manipuris—had previously remained untouched by the ethnic strife that has plagued Manipur since May last year.
The ongoing conflict between the Meiteis of the Imphal Valley and the hill-based Kukis in Manipur has resulted in the deaths of over 200 people and displaced thousands more.