Ukhrul: A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) was safely defused by security personnel in a forested area near Sikibung village under Litan Police Station in Ukhrul district on Friday, preventing a potential threat to villagers and averting what could have been a major tragedy in the sensitive hill area.
According to police, at around 12:30 pm, Litan Police Station received credible information from local villagers about the presence of a suspected IED in a dense forest approximately three kilometres south of the police station. The villagers had reportedly ventured into the area to search for bee hives, a common livelihood activity in the season, when they noticed a suspicious object wrapped in polythene and wires lying on a jungle footpath frequently used by locals and cattle grazers.
Acting swiftly on the information, a joint team comprising personnel from Litan Police Station and 164 ‘D’ Company of the Border Security Force (BSF), along with a Bomb Disposal (BD) expert, rushed to the spot. The security forces immediately cordoned off the entire area and stopped all civilian movement to prevent any untoward incident. As a precautionary measure, the village headman, village chairman and nearby security posts were informed and asked to alert residents to stay away from the forest area till the operation was over.
The suspected IED was successfully defused in situ at around 4 pm by the BSF bomb disposal team following standard operating procedures. Police said the timely action and alertness shown by the villagers averted any danger to the lives of people who frequent the area for foraging, hunting and agricultural activities. The sound of the controlled detonation was heard in nearby villages, with locals stating that it confirmed the potency of the explosive device that could have caused heavy casualties.
Following the operation, security forces conducted a thorough combing and search operation in the surrounding two-kilometre radius to rule out the presence of more explosives, hidden dumps or a possible ambush trap for security forces. However, no incriminating materials, wires, batteries, detonators or identifiable splinters were recovered from the demolition site, officials said. A General Diary entry has been registered at Litan Police Station – GD Entry No. 09/LTN-PS/2026 dated August 7, 2026, and an enquiry has been initiated to ascertain the source of the suspected explosive device.
Meanwhile, tension gripped Sikibung, which is a Kuki village under Litan sub-division of Ukhrul district. Talking to this correspondent, several villagers alleged that the suspected IED was planted by suspected cadres of the NSCN-IM and the Zeliangrong United Front – Kamson faction (ZUF-K). The villagers claimed that they have been living under constant fear and intimidation ever since peripheral Kuki villages in the area allegedly came under systematic attacks from March 2026 onwards.
According to village authority sources and local residents, at least 15 Kuki civilians, including three pastors and a young pregnant woman, have allegedly been killed in separate incidents of violence in the region over the past five months, and several houses in Kuki villages have been burnt down. The villagers further alleged that despite repeated complaints and representations to the authorities, the government has made no arrests nor taken concrete action in connection with the alleged killings and incidents of arson. These figures and allegations are based solely on the claims made by the local villagers.
These allegations regarding the involvement of NSCN-IM and ZUF-K and the claims could not be independently verified by Kukiland Express at the time of filing this report. No official confirmation has been issued by the police or district administration regarding the involvement of any specific underground group in planting the IED or in the alleged killings. Kukiland Express is reporting the apprehensions as expressed by the local residents.
A senior police official in Ukhrul, when contacted, said the investigation is currently focused on ascertaining the source of the suspected IED, the type of explosives used and the motive behind planting it in a civilian footpath area. The official said that security has been beefed up in and around Sikibung and Litan areas with additional patrolling and area domination exercises by joint teams of Manipur Police and central forces to instil confidence among the local population. The investigation is ongoing and further details are awaited.
