A vital road link in Manipur’s Kamjong district was severed on Tuesday night after suspected militants destroyed a Bailey bridge using an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and set fire to a telecommunications vehicle.
The attack, which occurred around 11 pm on July 21, targeted the bridge over the Namban Lok (river) on the Kamjong-Chatric road. The bridge, constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) scheme, serves as the primary artery connecting the Sahamphung block to the district headquarters.
According to local sources, the blast was powerful enough to completely disable the structure, effectively isolating Chatric Khullen, Chatric Khunou, and at least ten other border villages. In a simultaneous act of arson, armed miscreants torched a BSNL Bolero vehicle. The vehicle belonged to a technical team that had traveled to Chatric village to repair a local mobile tower.
Lifeline Severed
The Chatric Village Authority (VA) issued a scathing statement on Wednesday, condemning the destruction of the bridge and the targeting of civilian infrastructure. The VA suspected Kuki militants to be behind the attacks.
“The bridge was the only lifeline for Chatric and 12 other villages in the Indo-Myanmar border area,” the statement said, adding the attack has severely disrupted movement, isolated vulnerable residents, and endangered access to essential services, including life-saving medical emergencies.
The loss of the bridge is expected to have a devastating impact on the local economy, as residents rely on the crossing for trade, transport, and the procurement of daily necessities.
Calls for Govt Intervention
Describing the incident as a “direct attack on public safety and fundamental rights,” the Chatric Village Authority urged the state government to take immediate legal and restorative action. “Targeting civilian infrastructure is unacceptable and violates basic humanitarian principles,” it stated, cautioning that the destruction would only deepen instability and cause unnecessary suffering to innocent civilians.
The VA has called for a thorough investigation to identify the culprits and demanded they be prosecuted under Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
The Chatric VA has also appealed to the authorities to develop alternative routes, and immediately open and improve connectivity from Chatric to Ukhrul via the Sahamphung Block headquarters to alleviate the isolation.
As of Wednesday evening, a Kamjong Police team and district officials were reportedly assessing the damage, though no official arrests have yet been announced. The incident marks a significant escalation in the targeting of public utility assets in the border region.