JIRIBAM, Nov 12: Bodies of two Meitei men were discovered on Tuesday morning in Jiribam district, a day after a gunfight between security forces and suspected militants reportedly left 10 militants dead, police reported. The incident has also led to six people missing from a local relief camp following Monday’s clashes.
The violence unfolded in Jakuradhor and Borobekra, areas close to Hmar-majority Pherzawl district. The gunfight reportedly started after suspected Hmar militants attacked a CRPF post in Jakuradhor and the nearby Borobekra police station. According to residents, militants also targeted homes and shops in Meitei settlements earlier in the day.
On Tuesday, the bodies of Laishram Barel Singh (63) and Maibam Keshwo Singh (71) were found in houses within Jakuradhor. Both had been staying at a relief camp set up at Borobekra police station and were among the 10 individuals from the camp who went missing during the violence on Monday.
Yurembam Sanjoy Singh, a local resident, explained that around 118 people had been staying in the Borobekra relief camp, established after violence erupted in the area in June. Most other displaced Meitei residents from the region are in camps near Jiribam district headquarters, about 20 km away.
“During the day, those in the relief camp often go outside, but when the shooting and arson began on Monday, people scattered. Afterward, we realized 10 people were missing. By morning, we found two dead and two alive, but six—three women and three children—remain unaccounted for,” said Yurembam.
The missing individuals are identified as Telam Thajamanbi Devi (8), Yurembam Rani Devi (60), Telam Thoibi Devi (32), Laishram Henthonbi Devi (25), and two children, Laishram Chingkheinganba(2.5) and Laishram Lamnganba(8 months).
