Attacks by suspected militant groups under SoO continued to spark off terror and fear among the villagers living in the peripheral area as they have become an easy target amid the prevailing crisis in Manipur.
On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, a team of suspected militants under SoO with sophisticated weapons reportedly attacked a relief camp opened at Phougakchao Mamang Leikai in Bishnupur, besides torching another 10 houses at Torbung, Bishnupur.
Around 23 youths, who were guarding the camp, retaliated, using licensed guns. The gun battle went on for nearly three hours, as reported by the locals. However, there were no reports of any casualty or injuries in the shootout.
The relief camp opened at Phougakchao village is providing shelter to around 150 displaced people from Churachandpur, and they have been evacuated to safe zone (other relief camps in Bishnupur district).
As narrated by a villager to the media, a few VDF personnel who were deployed to guard the relief camp were called off by their high command soon after the attack started and the police station located near the village was kept locked from the inside.
The villagers alleged that the Central forces remained silent spectators during the attack. After the attack was over, they turned towards the villagers and showed high handedness to the youths who were defending their own village, they expressed.
Enraged over the alleged controversial act of the security forces, the villagers apprised the state government to withdraw all the security personnel from that area, stating that they feel much safer to defend the militants by themselves without any interference from the security personnel.
Another villager alleged that CDO personnel are nowhere to be seen in the peripheral area of Bishnupur since one of their personnel was shot dead by suspected militants on May 11.
He said, such negligence of security in the peripheral area despite the villagers facing continuous attack by SoO militants raises the question whether there is no government and if there is failure in the government intelligence.
Immediate deployment of sufficient security personnel is the need of the hour to save innocent villagers in the peripheral area to defend attacks from UG groups under SoO, he added.
