Jiribam: Ten armed men were killed during an attack on a CRPF camp in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Monday, an incident that sources suggest may have been caused by a miscalculation on the part of the attackers. Security sources said that the armed group, which targeted the CRPF camp, failed to notice a CRPF bulletproof multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) deployed outside the camp. Most of the attackers were reportedly killed in the initial burst of fire from a Light Machine Gun (LMG) mounted on the vehicle.
The police said that the CRPF camp at Jakuradhor and the nearby Borobekra police station came under attack shortly after armed miscreants launched assaults on homes and shops in the area. At around 2:30 pm, a group of 40-50 armed men targeted the Borobekra police station, which also oversees a relief camp and nearby villages. Meanwhile, another group attacked the CRPF camp near the station, The Indian Express reported.
CRPF’s MPV crew kills most attackers
The attackers’ apparent strategy was to keep the CRPF occupied with defending the camp while other teams targeted the relief camp and surrounding villages. However, they overlooked the presence of the MPV outside the camp, which housed armed personnel and an LMG. When the attack began, the MPV crew retaliated immediately with the mounted gun, killing most of the attackers in the first round of fire. The gunfight continued for about 30 minutes as both sides took cover and engaged in exchanges.
Police sources have dismissed rumours suggesting that “village volunteers” were killed in the clash. It was confirmed that nine of the ten dead attackers were from Churachandpur and the group was armed with AK-47s, SLRs and an RPG. One CRPF officer was injured by a gunshot.
Relief camp residents found dead
A day after the attack, police found two bodies from homes in Jakuradhor. These two men were part of a group from a relief camp that had gone missing following the violence. Among the missing were six members of a family, including three children. The violence was sparked by the killing of a 31-year-old woman from a village near the Jiribam district headquarters.
