Manipur Police Constable Kills Senior Officer Amid Tensions in Jiribam District

GG News Bureau
Jiribam, 3rd Nov. A police constable in Manipur’s Jiribam district fatally shot his senior colleague, a Sub-Inspector, on Saturday following a heated verbal altercation, authorities reported. The incident underscores ongoing tensions in the region, which has been struggling with inter-ethnic violence for months.

The accused, Constable Bikramjit Singh, allegedly fired at point-blank range on Sub-Inspector Shah Jahan with his service rifle at a police post in Mongbung village. Shah Jahan was declared dead on the spot. Local officials said the motive behind the dispute is under investigation, with heightened security in place at the incident site and throughout the district. The accused constable was swiftly detained by fellow officers present at the scene.

Jiribam, a district with a complex ethnic composition, had largely avoided the extensive violence that erupted across Manipur’s Imphal Valley and surrounding hill areas last year. However, tensions in Jiribam escalated in June when a 59-year-old man from one community was killed, allegedly by militants of another group. This incident triggered violent clashes and forced thousands from their homes into relief camps.

The broader context of unrest in Manipur has seen over 200 fatalities and left thousands displaced since May of last year. Ethnic hostilities between the Meiteis of Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo communities in the hills continue to put immense pressure on law enforcement and local authorities, who are working to prevent further escalations in violence.