Manipur police denounce 'baseless claims' on social media, say 'militants killed in retaliatory fire'

Manipur Police issued a detailed statement on Tuesday addressing what they call "baseless claims" circulating on social media regarding the November 11 incident at Jakuradhor, Borobekra under Jiribam district.

"Several press releases from organizations have surfaced on social media, alleging baseless claims against the CRPF and Manipur Police," the statement began, before providing their official account of events.

According to police, militants launched a simultaneous attack on Borobekra Police Station's IDP shelter and a nearby CRPF post around 2:30 pm on November 11. The assault, involving RPGs and automatic weapons, resulted in damaged and burned houses.

"The Civil Police and CRPF retaliated strongly," police stated. "After 40-45 minutes of heavy exchange of fire, the situation was brought under control."

Security forces recovered 10 bodies of militants in military fatigues, along with significant weaponry including AKs, SLRs, INSAS rifles, and an RPG. Police noted that "two arms were found to be looted from Police Armoury."

The police statement emphasised: "The armed militants were not ambushed but were killed during the retaliatory firing by the security forces."

Police confirmed that CRPF constable Sanjeev Kumar was injured and is undergoing treatment at Silchar Medical College, Assam. The attack also resulted in two civilian casualties - Maibam Kesho Singh (75) and Laishram Barel (61) from Modhupur, with six IDPs still missing.

"Operations in and around Jakuradhor, under Borobekra Police Station, Jiribam District continue to flush out armed militants," the police statement concluded.