Manipur blast: 8 militants shot down

The Manipur Police and Assam Rifles personnel have been carrying out a joint operation to flush out rebels from Imphal city, which itself comes under the jurisdiction of four police districts. While the Army has been in deployment in Manipur and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is in force, Imphal city has remained exempt from it for over five years now.

“We have also rounded up a number of persons for interrogation. The operations are still on,” the SP said.

Five militants were killed in the first encounter that took place in Heingang Heibi in Imphal East district at around 6.30 pm, while two more were killed in another encounter at Maharabi village under Imphal West. Prior to that a militant was shot dead at Baruni village in Imphal East.

The KCP (MC), one of the several factions of the original KCP founded in 1980 under the leadership of Y Ibohanbi, had earlier claimed responsibility for Tuesday evening’s explosion in Imphal. The outfit claimed that it had detonated the explosion near the gambling den at Ragailong area as part of its campaign against pre-diwali gambling spree in different parts of the state. It said gambling was alien to the state’s culture and had spoilt the social atmosphere especially in the run-up to Diwali every year.

Security forces have also recovered two M16 rifles, one carbine, one 9mm pistol, one single-barrel gun, one hand grenade, nine detonators, about two kgs of plastic explosives and about 100 bullets from the slain militants.