7 Bombs Defused in Manipur’s Imphal East District by Joint Army-Police Team

A joint team of army and police seized a large number of weapons and defused 7 IEDs in Manipur

Imphal/Guwahati:

The Manipur Army and police averted a tragedy by defusing at least eight improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Imphal East district on Saturday, the defence spokesperson of Manipur, Nagaland and South Arunachal said in a statement.

An army unit received intelligence reports warning of the hidden IEDs. A bomb disposal team then went to the area and defused all the IEDs, weighing 33 kg, the spokesman said, adding that the quick response prevented major attacks on security forces and commuters.

“In a swift and decisive joint operation, the Indian Army, in collaboration with Manipur Police, successfully detected and neutralised eight IEDs in Saichang Itham area of ​​Imphal East district, averting a major tragedy in the region,” the spokesperson said in the statement.

The army said the area – Moirangpurel and Itham villages – where they found the IEDs is a place where farmers and herders work. “The recovery has dealt a serious blow to the dark agenda of hostile elements who are planning to carry out subversive activities in the region,” the statement said.

Search operations and area domination were carried out by security forces in the fringe areas and vulnerable areas of the Hill and Valley Districts. During the searches, the following items were recovered:

iii.07 (seven) IEDs and 01 (one) detonator from Saichang and Bongjang Hill… photo.twitter.com/XCryl5DRcU

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) July 20, 2024

Also on Wednesday, the army and police seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Imphal East district in a joint operation, a defence ministry spokesman said. After receiving intelligence reports, the joint team launched an extensive search operation in Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts.

The 72-hour operation deployed patrol dogs and explosive detection dogs due to the complexity of the terrain, the spokesman said. The operation resulted in the recovery of a large number of weapons and ammunition, including 13 long-range mortars, four Burmese iron rods, one IED and one modified grenade launcher.

Search operations and area domination were carried out by security forces in the fringe areas and vulnerable areas of the Hill and Valley Districts. During the searches, the following items were recovered:

i.02 (two) locally made single barrel shotguns, 01 (one) nationally made 9mm pistol… photo.twitter.com/B066bkys18

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) July 20, 2024

Peace has been elusive in Manipur since more than a year of ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei community, which dominates the valley, and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis — a term coined by the British during colonial times — who dominate some of Manipur’s hill regions. The violence has killed more than 220 people and displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category of Meiteis wants to be included in the category of scheduled tribes, while the Kuki tribes, who share ethnic ties with people in the neighbouring Chin and Mizoram states of Myanmar, want a separate administration outside Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal distribution of resources and power with the Meiteis.