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3 more killed in ethnic violence-hit Manipur
At least 105 people have died and another 40,000 displaced since violence between the tribal Kukis and the Meiteis, the dominant community, erupted on May 3
Three people were killed and at least one injured in the fresh flare-up in a tribal Kuki-dominated village in ethnic violence-hit Manipur on Friday, people aware of the matter said.
A police officer said that two people died at the spot while the third succumbed to injuries later. “We are yet to reach the village...,” the officer said. He added the bodies will be sent for autopsy.
A leader of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of Kuki groups in the Churachandpur district, said the attackers were dressed in olive green fatigues.
“The villagers assumed that security personnel were there to conduct a combing operation. They co-operated and moved away to let the security forces perform their duty but suddenly the village was attacked,” said the leader, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added security personnel patrolling nearby rushed to the scene and triggered a gunfight.
Two attackers on a motorcycle separately hurled a grenade at the house of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker S Kebi in the Imphal West district late on Thursday. The gate of the house was damaged but no one was injured in the incident.
At least 105 people have died and another 40,000 displaced since violence between the tribal Kukis, who mostly reside in the hill districts, and the Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal Valley, erupted on May 3.
The violence was triggered during a protest against a court order for granting scheduled tribe status to Meities. Violence quickly engulfed the state. The authorities clamped a curfew and suspended the internet. Additional security forces were rushed to the state amid spiraling clashes but tensions simmered.
