MANIPUR, India: As violence persisted in Manipur on Saturday, a mob set on fire two vehicles in the Imphal West area, while a firefight was reported in the Imphal East district.
On Friday night, a group of individuals burned two private automobiles along Mahabali Road close to the iconic Kangla fort because they believed the four-wheelers were being used to transport household goods to a specific ethnic community. The mob dispersed after the cops intervened. There were no casualties because the drivers of both cars managed to escape. Late on Friday night, two communities engaged in sporadic gunfire at Laikot near Yaingangpokpi in the Imphal West district.
Late on Friday night, two communities engaged in sporadic gunfire at Laikot near Yaingangpokpi in the Imphal West district. The shootings occurred after four individuals, including a Manipur police commando, were killed by gunfire, and numerous more were hurt in different incidents throughout the Bishnupur region. Three more people died in the early morning hours in the villages of Kangvai, Songdo, and Awang Lekhai, all of which are on the boundary of the districts of Bishnupur and Churachandpur. The cop was killed in a gun battle with suspected militants in Moirang Turel Mapan in the evening.
To address the situation, Army and Assam Rifles men moved to Songdo on Friday night, according to officials. Since May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in the hill areas to protest against the Meitei community’s quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, more than 100 people have died, and more than 3,000 have been injured as a result of ethnic violence in the state.
Along with the Manipur Police, some 40,000 central security troops have been sent to the state to control the unrest and restore order. Most Meiteis, around 53% of Manipur’s population, reside in the Imphal Valley. Another 40% of the population comprises tribal Nagas and Kukis living in the hill districts.
