Guards, rebels exchange fire

Kuki outfit denies involvement in incident Commandos take position during the fire exchange with militants at Kangpokpi in Manipur’s Senapati district on Tuesday.

Imphal, July 2: The security personnel of works minister Kh. Ratankumar and Opposition MLA Nemcha Kipgen exchanged fire with cadres of Kuki National Front (KNF), while the duo were touring Kangpokpi in Senapati district today.

Police said the exchange of fire lasted for about 10 minutes. However, no one was injured in the encounter.

Cadres of the outfit, which has a suspension of operations agreement with the government, stay at a designated camp at Natheljang, not very far from the incident site.

Ratankumar said his security escorts informed him that they fired in the air on seeing some armed militants on a nearby hill. “Our security escorts fired on seeing some militants as a precaution and warning. It is very unfortunate that such incidents took place during a minister’s tour,” he said.

Police said the militants returned fire and after the incident, the team turned back from the area. Ratankumar and Kipgen were touring the latter’s constituency of Kangpokpi to inspect development activities in the Kuki-dominated area, about 45km from Imphal.

The police said the team was passing Parsaial Nepali Basti, 2km from the Imphal-Dimapur highway, when the security escorts saw around six armed militants in camouflage attire climbing down a hill.

“As the convoy was moving along the road, some militants were seen on the hills and suddenly firing broke out. We could not say whether the militants fired back or not as everyone was taking position,” a member of the minister’s team said.

However, the outfit denied firing at the minister’s convoy. “Our boys did not fire a single shot. The minister and MLA’s security personnel fired to scare our boys, who were coming to our camp,” Rohan, a KNF leader and member of the suspension of operation joint monitoring group, said.

He said four armed cadres were returning to the camp after picking up four other cadres who went out of the camp last night without any permission, when the security escorts saw them and opened fire. “We tender an apology for the unfortunate incident to the minister, MLA and state government,” he added.

The works minister toured the area following an assurance given by Kipgen during the ongoing Assembly session that he would pay a visit to Kangpokpi to inspect the progress of ongoing projects, official sources said. O. Henry, a social worker from here, accompanied the minister.

Nearly 50 Manipur Rifles men and police personnel, led by additional superintendent of police, Kangpokpi, Md Jakiruddin Ahamed, were escorting the minister and MLA’s team, which also comprised engineers of the public works department.

Despite the firing, the minister continued his tour and inspected a government high school and the condition of roads and bridges in Kangpokpi area.

Ratankumar said he was visiting the area to see the condition of roads and bridges as the government was focusing on development in the five hill districts.