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2 killed in protests against boy, infant sister’s killing in Manipur
State home minister Govindas Konthoujam said two people succumbed to bullet injuries, and at least 31 were injured as CRPF personnel controlled a mob
Two protesters were killed in ethnic violence-hit Manipur on Tuesday after security forces allegedly fired at a group of people, who took to the streets against the killing of a five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister, and stormed a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp, vandalised it, and set vehicles on fire.
State home minister Govindas Konthoujam said two people succumbed to bullet injuries, and at least 31 were injured as CRPF personnel controlled the mob.
What sparked protest
The killing of Meitei siblings in Bishnupur’s Tronglaobi in the early hours of Tuesday sparked outrage. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, a Kuki-Zo body, refuted the allegation that Kuki-Zo were involved in the Tronglaobi attack.
The fresh flare-up in violence prompted the authorities to suspend internet and mobile data services in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur for three days.
People took to the streets against the killing of the siblings, even as chief minister Yumnam Khemchand condemned the Tronglaobi attack and assured that the government would hunt down the perpetrators and deliver justice at the earliest. “....There is vested interest in derailing the peace process when the state is limping back to normalcy,” he said.
Khemchand said the investigation into the Tronglaobi attack will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency. “I cannot confirm which group was involved in the crime, but during a security review meeting, I instructed the security officials to nab the culprits dead or alive by today, if possible.”
Ethnic violence continues
The ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people since May 2023. It first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities and has since involved almost every group. The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, live largely in the Imphal valley plains, while the Kukis, predominantly Christian, reside in the hills.
Meiteis and Kukis withdrew to their respective strongholds after the ethnic violence began. Security agencies established buffer regions between their areas, virtually partitioning them.
