The bodies of two elderly Meitei men were found on Tuesday morning in Manipur’s Jiribam district, a day after ten suspected Kuki militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces. Six more Meitei persons are reported to be missing.

The bodies of Laishram Balen (56) and Maibam Kesho (75) were found in the debris in the Jakuradhor Karong area, where the suspected militants had on Monday set some shops on fire, PTI reported.

Ten Meiteis were believed to have gone missing after the gunfight. Out of these, the bodies of Balen and Kesho were found on Tuesday, while two others were found alive. Three women and three children are missing from Jiribam.

“The police have launched a search to locate the missing individuals, and a case has been registered regarding the incident,” said IK Muivah, the inspector-general of police, Manipur, on Tuesday. “Reinforcements from Assam Rifles, CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force], and Civil Police have been deployed to the area to carry out combing operations.”

The police on Monday said that the gunfight began after suspected militants attacked a Central Reserve Police Force post at about 3 pm in the Jakuradhor area.

Following the exchange of fire, the Jiribam district administration imposed orders prohibiting five or more persons from gathering.

The gunfight resulted in the highest number of suspected militants killed in a single day this year. Last year, 13 suspected Meitei militants were killed close to the Indo-Myanmar border in the state’s Tengnoupal district.

However, the Hmar Students’ Association, a group representing the Hmar community, said that the ten persons who were killed were village volunteers.

The term “village volunteers” has been used for armed civilians guarding villages since the ethnic clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023. At least 237 persons have died and more than 59,000 persons displaced since the violence began.