India: At least one killed, two injured after fresh violence erupts in Manipur

At least one person has been killed and two others have been injured as fresh violence rocked India’s northeastern state of Manipur, on Wednesday (May 24). This comes after miscreants had torched abandoned houses and cars and also shot three people, earlier this week. In light of these incidents, the district authorities have cancelled the curfew relaxation.

What happened?

As per media reports, citing local officials, a 29-year-old man, Toijam Chandramani was shot dead after armed youths had raided a few villages in Bishnupur district. The victim was said to be in a critical state and was transferred to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

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Separately, two people were injured after being shot at in the Thamnapokpi foothills due to firing, said the police. At a press conference, state security advisor Kuldiep Singh said that the violence followed incidents of arson by suspected militants in the Tronglaobi area late Tuesday.

“Around 9:30 am (local time), two persons received bullet injuries at Thamnapokpi foothills which was due to firing from the side of the hill,” said Singh. Another person who was injured was later identified as a 25-year-old, L Manoj who went by an alias Abungnao.

According to the police, three houses were burnt on Tuesday night and in retaliation, people from the community burnt down four houses. Singh said that while the situation as of now is tense it is “under control”.

He also said that a joint team of Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and state police had been deployed in the region and had recovered arms and ammunition including guns, hand grenades, and so on.

The search for the militants is underway, said Singh. The team of security forces also arrested three people, hundreds of dollars in cash, and a car.

Curfew relaxation cancelled

In light of recent violence, the previously relaxed curfews in both Imphal West and Imphal East districts have been cancelled. The curfew was previously relaxed for the day from 5:00 am to 4:00 pm (local time) excluding a few areas in the Imphal East district was stoppedwhile the curfew was re-imposed in Bishnupur district.

This comes as the state has witnessed sporadic incidents of violence since the ethnic clashes between the tribal Kuki and the non-tribal Meitei communities first broke out, earlier this month. According to the media reports citing officials, some 10,000 personnel from the Indian Army and Assam Rifles and at least 7,000 from the CRPF and Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed in the violence-hit state where over 70 people have lost their lives.

(With inputs from agencies)

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