A former MLA’s wife was killed in a bomb blast in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, police said on Sunday. The bomb blast was triggered at a house adjacent to that of former Saikul MLA Yamthong Haokip on Saturday evening, as per the official.

Sapam Charubala, the wife of Haokip, was injured in a blast and was taken to a health facility in Saikul but later succumbed to her injuries, according to officials. Haokip was at home when the blast occurred but was unharmed. Police are currently investigating the incident.

The 59-year-old Charubala was from the Meitei community and lived at Ekou Mulam in the Kuki-Zomi-dominated Kangpokpi district. Haokip, 64, has won the Saikul seat twice – in 2012 and 2017, both times on Congress tickets. He switched to the BJP prior to the 2022 Assembly elections.

Four armed men were killed in a shootout between militants and village volunteers of the same community in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, the police reported. The gunfight took place in the Molnom area on Friday, resulting in the deaths of a militant associated with the United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) and three village volunteers from the same community.

In response to the killings, village volunteers set fire to the home of UKLF self-proclaimed chairman S S Haokip. It is believed that the conflict over control of taxes in the Pallel area led to the gunfight, according to officials. Although security forces conducted search operations, no arrests have been made yet, and the situation is said to be under control.

A police officer from Kangpokpi district stated that the incident occurred around 3 pm on Saturday afternoon but was reported early on Saturday morning. According to him, a locally made IED had been placed among waste material at the house.

More than 200 people have been killed, and thousands have been left homeless due to ethnic violence between the Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the adjoining hills-based Kukis in Manipur since May of last year.

In yet another tragic incident, a police officer was killed in Manipur’s Moreh on Tuesday after he was shot at by suspected militants. The incident occurred when Moreh Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chingtham Anand was inspecting a newly constructed helipad at the Eastern ground in the border town.

Reports stated that the SDPO was taken to a primary health centre in Moreh where he succumbed to his injury. The police officials have launched an operation to apprehend the militants.

Speaking about the matter, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that he is saddened by the cold-blooded killing of Anand. The Chief Minister conveyed that he is deeply saddened by the cold-blooded killing of SDPO Chingtham Anand, OC Moreh police this morning. He added that Anand’s dedication to serve and protect the people will always be remembered. He further ensured that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

Reports stated that the incident comes days after members of several civil society organisations, especially those based in Moreh, demanded the removal of state forces from the border town.

The northeastern state of Manipur has witnessed widescale violence after clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town. The violence erupted after tribal groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community.

The violence gradually spread across the state, where ethnic fault lines run deep. Nearly 175 people have died and more than 50,000 have been displaced in the state since then. Furthermore, hundreds of homes have been burnt, businesses lost, studies affected, places of worship burnt to a cinder, and the state has lived without internet for months.

Officials further stated that mobs looted 5669 types of arms and around 500,000 rounds of ammunition from police stations and armouries. Reports said that only around 1300 of them were recovered until the first week of October.

Hundreds of students took to the streets in Manipur’s capital, Imphal to protest against the brutal murder of two students by suspected armed men. The students demanded justice for the victims. According to reports, photos of two students, who apparently have been decapitated, have gone viral across the social media platforms.

The protesting students tried to march towards Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s residence, after which security forces used tear gas shells and smoke bombs in an effort to disperse the crowd. Reportedly, multiple students were injured and they were hurried to the hospital for medical treatment.  

The photos that have gone viral show two students, a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old boy, sitting at the grassy compound in what appears to be a makeshift jungle camp of an armed group.The girl is seen in a white shirt and the boy in a checked shirt holding a backpack. Behind them, two armed men were clearly visible. 

In the next viral photo, their bodies are seen slumped on the ground. According to reports, as the girl was a minor, officials concerned to the matter are looking into the allegations of rape, before she was murdered. 

Meanwhile, N Biren Singh led Manipur government has asked the people of the northeastern state to exercise restraint and allow authorities to investigate the kidnapping and killing of both the students. In a statement issued by the secretariat of Chief Minister N Biren Singh late on Monday night, the state government asserted that the case has been already handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

In addition, the government also assured the public that swift and decisive action will be taken against all those involved in the crime. The statement further underlined that the government was committed to ensuring justice for the murdered students and severe punishment on any perpetrators found responsible for this heinous crime.