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Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh's convoy was ambushed by armed militants in Kangpokpi district on Monday.

 

The attack, which occurred around 10:30 am along National Highway-37, left one of the security personnel in the CM's advance team injured.

 

Sources from the Chief Minister’s office confirmed that the convoy was en route to Jiribam district from Imphal when it came under fire. The Chief Minister was planning a visit to Jiribam on Tuesday, a region recently engulfed in unrest following a violent incident on June 6.

 

The turmoil began with the murder of a 59-year-old Meitei farmer, Soibam Saratkumar Singh, who was found with sharp object wounds after going missing from his farm.

 

His death sparked a wave of violence, leading to the torching of approximately 70 houses, including several government offices, and causing hundreds of residents to flee the area.

 

The ethnic tension, which has plagued Manipur since last year, saw a significant escalation in Jiribam, traditionally home to diverse communities including Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis, and non-Manipuris.

 

Until now, Jiribam had largely been spared from the ethnic conflict that has ravaged other parts of the state, resulting in over 200 deaths and displacing thousands.

 

In response to the farmer’s killing, nearly 239 Meitei individuals, predominantly women and children, were evacuated from the peripheral areas of Jiribam on Friday, June 7, and relocated to a newly established relief camp at a multi-sports complex in the district.

 

Prohibitory orders were imposed in Jiribam after locals, enraged by the murder, set fire to several abandoned structures following the discovery of Singh’s body.

 

The tensions escalated further when locals protested in front of the Jiribam Police Station, demanding the return of their licensed firearms that had been confiscated during the elections.