Imphal, July 14: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was killed and three other security personnel got injured when suspected militants ambushed a joint patrol party with the state police in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Sunday, police said.

The three injured include a CRPF jawan and two Manipur police personnel.

A police official in Imphal said that the joint patrol party came under heavy fire from the hilltop by suspected militants at Morbung village of Jiribam district bordering Assam.

The CRPF troopers were inside a patrol SUV when the suspected insurgents opened fire, the police official said, adding that the vehicle was later found with bullet holes and its windshield shattered.

The security personnel retaliated and the militants took shelter in the forest of the mountainous terrain.

A combing operation is now going on and additional forces have rushed to the areas.

The injured security personnel were quickly evacuated and are currently under medical treatment in the government hospital.

Sunday’s incident was the second militant attack on the security forces in Manipur in five weeks.

On June 10, suspected militants attacked the advance security convoy of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the state’s Kangpokpi district and a security personnel was injured in the attack.

The advance security convoy was on its way to the trouble-torn Jiribam district on June 10 ahead of the Chief Minister’s scheduled visit to the state’s bordering district with Assam which recently witnessed violence.

The advance convoy was attacked near Kotlen village on the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37).

Jiribam witnessed a wave of violence after the killing of 59-year-old farmer Soibam Saratkumar Singh on June 6.

The Jiribam violence led to around 900 tribals belonging to the Kuki and Hmar communities taking shelter at the homes of relatives and friends in two villages in the Cachar district of southern Assam, while around 1,000 people, mostly belonging to the Meitei community, are now sheltered in seven relief camps in Jiribam.

--IANS

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