In Manipur, the year 2024 too has passed with full of turmoil and turbulence witnessing acts of terrorism by the Kuki-Zomi militants killing Meitei civilians including innocent women and children, not less than the killings, kidnappings and attacks on Meitei civilians and villages from the surrounding hills as was in the year 2023. The violent conflict due to the Kuki-Zomi militants’ attack against the Meitei villages and civilians which erupted on May 3, 2023 continues to this day. The violent conflict has completed 20 calendar months and has entered 21 months counting 613 days on January 4, 2025.
As the violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi militants and Meiteis deepened in 2024, the civilians have witnessed human casualties, widespread violence, mob attacks, rocket bombings and drone strikes against Meitei villages and civilians.
As the Kuki-Zomi militants continue to target the Meitei civilians and their villages by using sophisticating weapons including drone bombing and rocket bombing, long time non-ethnocentric Meiteis continue to hate the Kuki-Zomis militants, with thousands have been displaced and communities living in constant fear of Kuki-Zomi militants’ uncertain and unpredictable deadly attacks. Fear and tensions show no signs of easing and normalcy a far cry in the year gone by.
For the people of Manipur, the start of the year 2024 marked with violence. Four villagers were gunned down by cadres of the banned Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) in Thoubal district on January 1, 2024. The violence that started on May 3, 2023 handed down even with the coming of the year 2024. Reportedly, the incident, linked to disputes over money collected through illegal drug trade, was followed by the Manipur Government imposing prohibitory orders in all five valley districts.
One of the major incidents of the year 2024, on February 27, the armed members of Arambai Tenggol vandalised the property of additional SP Moirangthem Amit Singh at Wangkhei Tokpam in Imphal East district, abducting him and one of his escorts. They were later rescued from Kwakeithel Konjeng Leikai area in Imphal West district, about 5 km from the site of the incident.
Amidst the escalating tensions between Kuki-Zomi militants and Meitei communities, Manipur witnessed an intense political battle for Indian Parliamentary (Lok Sabha) elections 2024.
The first phase of polling in Manipur (April 19, 2024) witnessed widespread violence, including incidents of firing, intimidation, destruction of EVMs at some polling booths, and allegations of booth capturing from multiple parties. While the second phase of polls (April 26, 2024) passed off peacefully.
With the continued attacks by the Kuki-Zomi militants against the Meitei civilians and villages particularly Kangchup, Koutruk, Haraothel Senjam Chirang, Pheiyeng from the nearby hill tops in Imphal West district; and the other villages, namely, Sabungkhok, Sanashabi, Shanti Khongbal, Thamnapokpi, Uyokching, Yaingangpokpi in Imphal East, the violent conflict took a new turn in June, when a man was found dead in the Jiribam district bordering Assam on June 6, 2024. The Kuki-Zomi militants started to expand their area of domination up to the strategic western gate of Manipur, Jiribam bordering Assam through which Manipur’s Lifeline National Highway No. 37 Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar runs, after they cleansed Meiteis from Kangpokpi, Churachandpur and Moreh bordering Myanmar. The June 6 incident of Jiribam triggered the violence which was previously confined to Imphal valley and surrounding districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi and Moreh border town in Tengnoupal district to spread across borders.
Consequently, in Jiribam, the State witnessed a fresh wave of violence as gunfights, widespread arson, and the torching of houses between Kuki-Zomi militants and Meiteis intensified their attacks and counter-attacks. This also led to the internal displacement of more than 1000 people in the previously peaceful district of Jiribam. Some of them took shelter even in the neighbouring Assam.
Unfortunately, in a new turn of attacks by the Kuki-Zomi militants against the Meiteis, dropped drone-operated bombs at Koutruk village and nearby Senjam Chirang in Imphal West district triggering a new kind of warfare on September 1, 2024. This incident led to the death of an innocent young woman who was visiting her parents and other nine including the daughter of the deceased woman were injured.
Not long after the Koutruk drone-bomb killing, an elderly man who was offering prayers was killed in a rocket-bomb attack by Kuki-Zomi militants on September 6, 2024 in Manipur’s Moirang town. Five others including a 13-year-old girl were injured in the attack on the lakeside town of Moirang in Bishnupur district, 40 km from the state capital Imphal. She is the second minor injured in drone and rocket attacks in the first week of September 2024 by Kuki-Zomi militants. The rocket struck the house of Manipur’s first Chief Minister Mairembam Koireng Singh, just 100 metres away from the Indian National Army (INA) Museum in the heart of Moirang town, on the banks of Loktak, largest freshwater lake of the Northeast.
Even though the Security Forces fail to protect the civilians in the peripheral villages from the attacks of the Kuki-Zomi militants from the surrounding hill tops, the Security Forces are brave to crackdown on the unarmed students who were demanding removal of the State DGP and Security Advisor amidst the increasing attacks on peripheral villages as they were not able to deal with the attacks. More than 50 students were injured when they tried to march towards the Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister’s residence within 200 metres of each other in Manipur capital Imphal for the second day on September 10, 2024 during their protest. The serious among them were admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.
The November killings have not only re-escalated the violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi militants and the Meiteis but also increased the terrorist acts targeting the innocent civilians. On November 7, 2024, a 31-year old Hmar woman was burned to death, and several houses were set ablaze in Jarolpokpi village in Jiribam district by armed extremists. Kuki-Zomi groups alleged that the Meitei armed militants shot the young woman and burned down several houses in the village. Within three days, on November 9, a Meitei young woman farmer, Sapam Sophia, was shot dead while working in the paddy filed with others by suspected Kuki militants in Saiton village, Bishnupur district.
Moreover, on the night of November 9 the Kuki-Zomi militants started attacks at Thamnapokpi and Sanasabi under Yaingangpokpi Police Station in Imphal East district, Manipur. Again, the Kuki-Zomi militants launched yet another unprovoked attack at midnight, injuring a Mahar Regiment personnel. The attack continued till wee hours around 1.30 am. During the shootout, a Mahar Regiment personnel sustained minor injuries. A stray bullet reportedly scratched his left arm, according to reports.
A deadly clash on November 11 in Borobekra of Manipur’s Jiribam district left eleven Kuki-Zomi militants dead in the retaliation by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and one CRPF personnel succumbed. The Kuki-Zomi militants attacked Borobekra police station and Jakuradhor Karong locality and burned down Meitei houses in Jakuradhor Karong under Borobekra Police Station in Jiribam district and two Meitei civilians found dead, another two civilians including one injured were rescued while six women and children including an eight months-old who were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been abducted by the Kuki-Zomi militants.
On the same day, besides the attack in Jiribam, the Kuki-Zomi militants rained down bullets and bombs including rockets at the villages located at peripheral areas of Manipur central valley. They carried out attacks upon Koutruk, Kadangband and Kangchup Chingkhong and Phayeng under Lamshang Police Station in Imphal West district. The attacks began around 7:15 pm by Kuki-Zomi militants, following which both the Central and State forces deployed at Kangchup Chingkhong retaliated.
The Kuki-Zomi militants also burned down newly constructed pre-fabricated houses for Police and Central Security Forces at Porom Ching of Phayeng under Lamshang police station at around 8.20 pm.
The Kuki-Zomi militants also fired rockets from Kharam Vaiphei and Nakhujang around 7.25 pm. The rockets hit several areas at Phumlou and Lairensajik. Some of the rockets failed to explode on hitting the ground.
On the same day, November 11 between 3 to 3:30 pm, a fierce gunfight between Village Volunteers and Kuki-Zomi militants at Leitanpokpi and Dampi Hill Range under Phougakchao Ikhai Police Station in Bishnupur erupted in the aftermath of the fatal killing of a young woman, Sapam Sophia, who was working in the paddyfield in Saiton village in Bishnupur district on November 9.
Moreover, on November 11, the Kuki-Zomi militants continued firing from Uyokching upon Thamnapokpi Shantikhongbal villages under Yaingangpokpi police station which has been under AFSPA. A 32 year-old farmer Kanshok Horam belonging to the Tangkhul Naga community was injured while he along with nine farmers including eight Tangkhul and one Nepali were working. The other farmers luckily escaped unhurt.
A series of incidents took place on November 12 which included the recovery of charred bodies of two elderly Meitei men among the burnt debris at Jakuradhor, a purported photo of the women and children in captivity on social media and a general shutdown across Imphal Valley and Jiribam to protest the abduction.
The brutal events that unfolded on November 11 have further intensified anger and despair in the affected communities. The abducted six persons (three women and three minor children) from Jakuradhor Karong in Jiribam were brutally killed after reportedly suffering horrific abuse and their bodies were later found in the Barak River on different days. Among the deceased were an eight-month-old infant (boy), Telem Lamnganba; a two and half-year-old child (boy), Laishram Chingkheinganba and an eight-year-old girl, Telem Thajamanbi. Of the three women Laishram Heitonbi Devi, 25 and Y Rani, 60, are Chingkheinganba’s mother and grandmother respectively while Telem Thoibi, 31, is the mother eight-month-old infant (boy), Telem Lamnganba and an eight-year-old girl, Telem Thajamanbi.
The situation further worsened after the bodies of three women and three children were found near the confluence of Jiri River and Barak River along the Manipur-Assam border on November 15.
As protests intensified, mobs targeted the residences of valley-based legislators, attacked and set fire to vehicles and properties of BJP leaders on November 16.
The last rites of nine Meiteis, including three women and three children killed in three different incidents in the Jiribam district in November, were performed on November 22.
Though the year 2024 comes to end, on November 25 the alarming disappearance of a Laishram Kamalbabu, a Meitei who is a supervisor of contract works from the Indian Army’s 57 Mountain Division at Leimakhong adds to the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Meitei populace.
On the eve of Christmas the Kuki-Zomi militants started to their intensified attacks against the Meiteis and their villages. They continued their attacks in Sinam Khul, Sanasabi, Sabungkhok, Shanti Khongbal, Thamnapokpi, Uyokching and Yaingngpokpi in Imphal East.
A ‘village volunteer’ had minor injuries, while a policeman suffered bullet wounds on his left shoulder due to Kuki-Zomi militants’ attack from the hilltops on December 27 at Sanasabi and Thamnapokpi in Manipur’s Imphal East.
On December 28, a journalist with a local TV channel, Impact TV, Leimapokpam Kabichandra who was covering the attacks at Thamnapokpi from the surrounding hilltops sustained injuries on his left thigh.
The violent conflict due to the Kuki-Zomi militants’ attack against the Meiteis and their villages that engulfed the State in May last year has so far claimed 258 lives and over sixty one thousands were left homeless.
Given the context, the violent conflict that erupted on May 3, 2023 has witnessed the most terror acts of the Kuki-Zomi militants in the year 2024.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
