Manipur CM Biren Singh breaks silence after 6 found dead: ‘Terrorists will be brought to justice’
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has expressed grief over the killing of six people by suspected Kuki militants last week and said that those behind the gruesome act will be brought to justice soon.
In his first reaction since a fresh wave of violence erupted in the strife-torn state, Biren Singh said search operations are underway to find the killers of the three women and children, whose bodies were recovered from a river in Jiribam district last week.
The chief minister also termed the killing of women and children as a crime against humanity.
“Today, I stand here with profound sadness and anger to condemn the horrific killings of three innocent children and three innocent women by Kuki terrorists after being taken hostage at Jiribam,” Singh said in a video posted on his X handle.
“Such barbaric acts have no place in any civilized society. Let me assure you that the hunt for these terrorists is currently underway and they will be brought to justice very soon. We will not rest until they are held accountable for their inhuman actions,” he added.
The six people had been missing since November 11 from a camp for the displaced in Jiribam, following a gunfight between militants and security forces that led to the deaths of 10 insurgents.
In Wednesday’s message, Singh also thanked the CRPF for their swift action in Jiribam.
“Around 40 to 50 armed terrorists launched an assault on internally displaced persons residing in a relief camp at Borobekra and targeted a police station in Jiribam,” Biren Singh said.
“Their aim was to spread fear and destruction. However, thanks to timely and decisive response from CRPF personnel stationed there, the attack was repelled, and their swift action neutralised 10 of those terrorists on the spot, thereby saving hundreds of innocent lives living in relief camps,” he added.
Manipur has been in the throes of violence for close to 18 months, with the ethnic conflict showing no signs of abating. Amid the spiralling crisis, the Centre last week reimposed Afspa in six areas more than a year after it was removed from there, triggering a fresh wave of protests in the Imphal valley.
The violence has effectively divided Manipur into two ethnic enclaves – the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley and Kuki-majority hills – despite the presence of buffer zones monitored by security forces.