Imphal- At least eight houses were torched in a suspected militant attack on a tribal village in Manipur's Jiribam district on Thursday night, according to police reports. The attack, targeting the Hmar tribal-inhabited village of Zairon, sent villagers, including women, children, and elderly people, fleeing for safety.

Police officials confirmed that armed guerrillas launched the attack, setting fire to the houses. Security forces, including senior police officials, responded swiftly, bringing the situation under control. However, the militants fled the scene before the security forces arrived.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) alleges the attack lasted approximately an hour, with gunfire. They claim a woman, Sangkim, wife of Ngurthansang Hmar, was burned alive in her home, with her remains later dismembered by the militants. The ITLF also reports that over ten houses were burned in the attack.

This incident follows the recent burning of two abandoned farmhouses in the Nungkhal area of the same district. Jiribam, a mixed-populated district bordering Assam, has experienced sporadic violence this year, despite relative peace in the district compared to other parts of Manipur that have faced ethnic violence since May 2023.

On October 15, the Ministry of Home Affairs convened its first meeting in Delhi with representatives of the three major communities in Manipur -- Meitei, Kuki, and Naga -- to find a way to peacefully resolve the unrest.