NEW DELHI: In light of renewed violence in Manipur, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been reimposed in 6 police station areas across 5 districts in the state, including violence-hit Jiribam, the ministry of home affairs announced on Thursday.
As per the order, the Centre declared 6 police stations across 5 districts of Manipur — Imphal West, Imphal East, Jiribam, Kangpokpai & Bishnupur — as ‘disturbed areas’ under AFSPA.
The police station areas where AFSPA has been reimposed are Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East district, Jiribam in Jiribam district, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Moirang in Bishnupur.
The Centre had excluded these areas from AFSPA notification issued for six months starting October 1, 2024. The extension applied to the entire state except for 19 police station areas located in the Imphal Valley, which were exempted due to their relatively stable conditions compared to other regions.
Jiribam encounter
The fresh decision to include 6 of the excluded police station areas under AFSPA comes days after a significant encounter occurred in Manipur’s Jiribam, resulting in the deaths of 11 suspected militants during a gunfight with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
The clash took place in the Jakurador Karong area of the Borobekra sub-division on November 11, where heavily armed militants attacked the Borobekra police station and a nearby CRPF camp. The militants, dressed in camouflage and equipped with sophisticated weapons, initiated the assault by firing indiscriminately at the security forces and subsequently set several shops ablaze in the nearby market area.
A day later, six civilians, including women and children were abducted by armed militants from the same district.
In response to the violence, local authorities imposed a curfew in Jiribam to prevent further unrest.
This incident is part of ongoing ethnic tensions in Manipur, which have escalated since May 2023 due to conflicts between different ethnic groups, particularly between the Meitei community and Kuki-Zo tribes. This unrest has resulted in at least 237 deaths and displaced over 60,000 individuals
The region has seen numerous violent incidents leading to significant casualties and displacement of people.