MUMBAI: Schools were ordered shut from Saturday in the violence-hit Indian state of Manipur following a rocket attack by insurgents killed one and injured six others. Intense fighting broke out in the northeastern region more than a year ago between the Christian Kuki community and the Hindu Meitei majority. The conflict has boiled since then, splitting previously cohabitating communities along ethnic grounds.
Violence-hit Indian State of Manipur
A government notice stated that all schools in the violence-hit state would be closed on Saturday, when classes are usually held, to protect the “safety of the students as well as teachers.” The day before, insurgents had fired rockets in the Bishnupur district in the area, an assault that police attributed to “Kuki insurgents.” Police said that one person was killed in the barrage and six people were injured.
Local media also reported an elderly man was killed when a rocket hit the house of Mairenbam Koireng Singh, a former CM of Manipur. Friday’s attack came days following insurgents used drones to drop explosives in what police officials called a significant escalation of violence in the already troubled state.
Longstanding tensions between the Kuki and Meitei communities revolve around competition for public jobs and land, with rights activists blaming local leaders of worsening ethnic divisions for political benefits.
