Fresh Bomb Attack Jolts Bishnupur; Damages Two Buildings

Manipur Crisis: Suspected militants launched a fresh bomb attack in Bishnupur district on September 6. The rocket attacks damaged at least two buildings.

Imphal: In the latest development in the Manipur crisis, a fresh bomb attack occurred in Bishnupur district on Friday morning, damaging at least two buildings. According to police, suspected militants carried out the attack, launching rockets from the hilly areas of Churachandpur district toward the low-lying residential locality of Tronglaobi. Notably, Tronglaobi is located about 45 km from Imphal. Police stated that the range of the rockets was more than three kilometers.

Fortunately, the attack did not cause any loss of life. However, damage was reported at a local community center and a vacant facility due to the blast, say the officials. Also, the purported rebels fired several shots in the Bishnupur district, prompting the security forces to retaliate.

On a particular Thursday night, Kumbi village felt a little on edge. This place, located close to Tronglaobi, was buzzed by various drones. Witnesses reported these machines flying low, barely above the hundred-meter altitude.

On Thursday, the Indian Army and Manipur Police, in a joint operation recovered war-like stores of arms and ammunition in the sensitive areas in the fringes of Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts.

He army troops recovered warlike ammunitions such as heavy calibre launcher, one 12-bore double barrel rifle, one.177 rifle+magazine, two pistols, one pompi gun, five grenades.

“In a significant push towards restoring peace and stability in Manipur, the Indian Army ramped up its search operations across the region to counter the surge of violent activities. In coordination with Manipur Police, the Army successfully executed a joint operation on 05 September 2024,” as per a press release from the PRO Defence, Manipur.

The operation was conducted by the security forces after a specific information, resulting in the seizure of huge cache of arms and ammunition in the sensitive areas – Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts.

Recently, there was an alarming incident in Koutruk, Imphal. Locals were reportedly attacked by Kuki militants who were equipped with cutting-edge weaponry, including drones and explosives. In light of this shocking episode, Sanajaoba, a respected MP from Rajya Sabha, promptly responded by assembling an elite panel. Requests for discussions have already been put forward to investigate this troubling matter further.

The Manipur Police also confirmed the reports of the usage of drones in the attack in Kotruk, ” In an unprecedented attack in Koutruk, Imphal West, alleged Kuki militants have deployed numerous RPGs using high-tech drones. While drone bombs have commonly been used in general warfares, this recent deployment of drones to deploy explosives against security forces and civilians marks a significant escalation.”

(with ANI, PTI inputs)