In Manipur's Jiribam district, a joint team of Manipur Police and paramilitary officials was ambushed by unknown armed miscreants. The attack resulted in the death of one Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan, Ajay Kumar Jha, and injuries to three others, including a Sub-Inspector from Jiribam Police Station. The ambush occurred around 9:40 am on Sunday as the combined security team was approaching Monbung village to conduct a search operation related to a firing incident that took place the previous day.
The security situation in the region remains tense due to ongoing ethnic violence, which began in May 2023. The Jiribam area has seen multiple violent incidents recently, including the burning of at least 70 homes and police outposts in June amid clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities.
In response to the unrest, Manipur Police have seized a significant cache of arms and ammunition from the Imphal East and West districts. The seized items include an AK-56 rifle, a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), a locally made SLR, several pistols, hand grenades, and 25 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, in a separate operation in the Khuyathong and Nagamapal areas of Imphal West district, officials recovered one Excalibur rifle, a 7.62 mm AR (GHAATAK), and one MA-3 MK-II rifle with ammunition on Friday.
Indian Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi was briefed about the security situation in Manipur and along the Myanmar border during his visit to all the Corps formations under the Eastern Army Command in the Northeast on July 12.
