Six people, including three children and three women, missing after encounter in Jiribam
A tense encounter between suspected Kuki insurgents and security forces in Manipur’s Jiribam district has left three women and three children missing, with authorities intensifying their search for the missing individuals. The incident occurred on 11 November, when an attack by militants led to a gunfight with the security forces.
Speaking at a press conference today, a senior officer from the Manipur Police confirmed that six people, including three children and three women, are currently unaccounted for.
“Security forces have launched an operation to search for the missing people. They are three women and three children. The Assam Rifles, Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force will retaliate if fired upon,” a senior Manipur Police officer told reporters in the state capital Imphal today.
The police officer said a total of 13 internally displaced people were reported missing yesterday from Jiribam. Two have been found dead, five have been traced, and six are missing, the officer said.
The two bodies were of two senior citizens from the Meitei community. Both were found inside a structure that was set on fire by the militants, the police officer added.
According to the police, the attack began at around 2:30 PM on 11 November, when suspected militants targeted the Borobekra police station and moved towards a nearby CRPF camp. Armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), INSAS, and AK assault rifles, the militants engaged in a 45-minute gunfight with security forces. After the clash, 10 bodies were found in the affected area, leading authorities to suspect the militants had significant firepower capable of causing widespread chaos.
Lack of focus on Manipur’s crisis in Parliamentary Committee Meeting
During a meeting of the parliamentary committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday, opposition MPs flagged the ongoing crisis in Manipur, highlighting the lack of attention given to the state’s situation in a recent presentation by the Home Ministry. The meeting, which was the second session of the recently reconstituted Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, was chaired by BJP’s Radha Mohan Das Agrawal.
Sources told PTI that Home Secretary Govind Mohan gave an extensive presentation outlining the ministry’s achievements and vision, with a focus on the Northeast region. While the presentation included details on peace accords signed with various insurgent groups, opposition members pointed out that Manipur was not mentioned, despite the ongoing violence in the state.
One opposition MP brought up a recent tragic incident in Manipur, where a woman was allegedly raped and burnt alive. This was followed by another MP expressing discomfort over the apparent oversight of Manipur, which has been embroiled in conflict for over a year. Several opposition MPs supported this concern, highlighting the growing unrest in the state.
The presentation, which lasted two hours, covered multiple aspects of the ministry’s work, but opposition members noted that the slide on Centre-state relations was only one out of 69, and it was skipped during the meeting.
NWMI urges fair media coverage in Manipur
The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) has expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in Manipur’s hill and valley areas since November 7, 2024, and the lack of professional, independent media coverage of the ongoing conflict. Reports emerging from citizen videos, photos, and social media indicate a disturbing new phase in the conflict, with women from both sides increasingly becoming targets of armed groups.
One of the most tragic incidents reported was the burning alive of a 31-year-old mother of three, Zosangkim Hmar, from the Kuki Zo tribal group, in Zairawn village, Jiribam district, allegedly by Meitei armed groups. This was followed by the shooting of a Meitei woman, Ongbi Sofia Devi, who was harvesting paddy in Saiton, Bishnupur district, allegedly by Kuki armed groups. These acts of violence have further fueled the brutality in the region, with more killings reported in recent days.
On November 11, ten members of the Hmar community (part of the Kuki-Zo tribal group) were reportedly shot dead by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in what was described as “retaliatory fire” in Jiribam. While the mainstream media termed those killed as “insurgents” or “militants,” local sources, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), stated that these individuals were village volunteers ambushed by the CRPF during their patrol.
Despite national media coverage of the deaths, the build-up to this violent escalation and the conflicting reports surrounding the events remain largely unreported. Local journalists in Manipur have faced increasing challenges, including selective denial of access to affected areas, harassment, and even physical assault. Journalists from both local and national outlets have been targeted by security forces, with several reporting being assaulted while covering the conflict.
In one such instance, three journalists were beaten by security forces in May 2023 despite clearly identifying themselves as media personnel. Further, independent fact-finding groups and journalists who reported on sensitive issues have faced legal repercussions. Independent journalist Makepeace Sitlhou, for example, was slapped with an FIR for her social media posts on the violence, and only avoided arrest after intervention from the Supreme Court.
The NWMI has criticized the lack of comprehensive and balanced coverage of the ongoing violence, with much of the narrative shaped by partisan and unverified social media content. In an environment where ethnic polarization is rampant, the difficulty of reporting without bias or personal risk is compounded.
The NWMI called on national and regional media houses to fulfill their responsibility to provide fair, non-partisan, and accurate coverage of the conflict. The organization also urged the government at both the state and central levels to ensure the safety of journalists and allow independent media to operate freely in the region.
As violence continues to plague Manipur, the NWMI reiterated the urgent need for a free press to hold authorities accountable and to ensure that the voices of peace and reason are heard amidst the chaos.