In the early hours of Sunday, an abandoned house in Goakhal village, Jiribam, Manipur, was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED).
The incident occurred around 3:10 am and targeted the house of Tongbram Subash Singh, 65, the son of the late T Angouba Singh of Goakhal village. Following a violent event on June 6, which left one man beheaded and forced thousands of villagers to flee while over 70 houses were burned, Singh has been residing in Game village zone IV Lairembi Leikai, Imphal West.
Authorities reported that the abandoned house is located near a Bishnupriya settlement and the neighboring Hmar village of Tuisen, approximately 3.5 kilometers northeast of the Borobekra police station and 500 meters east of the main Jiribam-Tamei road.
The house was damaged by unidentified individuals, suspected to be armed Kuki militants, who planted the IED. No casualties were reported.
A letter from the Secretary to the Chief Minister dated January 27 highlighted incidents of gunfire in Jiribam on December 31 of last year, and January 1 and January 21. It advised the Director General of Police (DGP) to be vigilant about the movement of armed miscreants from Churachandpur towards the Vangai Range border area of Jiribam and to take adequate measures to prevent further deterioration of the law and order situation in Jiribam district, including the strategic deployment of central or state forces.
Additionally, there were reports that the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) is considering cutting off supply lines to Imphal Valley via Jiribam.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Biren had previously stated that the June 6 incident, which resulted in the burning of houses and the displacement of thousands, was due to security lapses. However, he noted that the situation is improving with the deployment of additional forces in the district.
