A Border Security Force (BSF) constable was killed while two Assam Rifles personnel were wounded in an exchange of fire with suspected Kuki militants in ethnic violence-hit Manipur on Tuesday, officials aware of the matter said.
Read here: 1 BSF jawan killed, 2 Assam Rifles soldiers injured in firing by militants
Constable Ranjit Yadav, who was posted at a school at Sugnu in the Kakching district, is the second BSF trooper to have been killed while on duty in the state to quell the violence that was triggered last month.
Multiple incidents of violence have been reported from Kakching since Sunday. Mobs burnt over 100 shops and houses there while suspected militants also fired at another BSF team.
“Around 4.05am [Tuesday], suspected Kuki militants resorted to an indiscriminate and heavy volume of firing at the BSF personnel stationed in the Serou Practical school. Constable Yadav, who was posted with the 163 Battalion, sustained a bullet injury and was rushed to the Jitan Hospital in Kakching where he was declared brought dead,” said a BSF spokesperson.
In a tweet, the army said two Assam Rifles personnel were also wounded. “...Injured Assam Rifles personnel [have been] air evacuated to Mantripukhri [Imphal]. Search operations in progress.”
{{/usCountry}}In a tweet, the army said two Assam Rifles personnel were also wounded. “...Injured Assam Rifles personnel [have been] air evacuated to Mantripukhri [Imphal]. Search operations in progress.”
{{/usCountry}}It added that Assam Rifles, BSF, and the Manipur Police have undertaken extensive area domination operations in Sugnu. “Intermittent firing between security forces and a group of insurgents took place throughout June 5 [Monday] night and early hours of June 6 [Tuesday]. Security forces effectively retaliated to the fire.”
The Union government on Sunday formed a three-member judicial inquiry panel to probe the ethnic violence in Manipur on the recommendation of the state government.
Clashes between the Meitei community, which constitutes the majority of the state’s population and lives largely in Imphal, and the Kukis, who comprise 16% of Manipur and are concentrated in the hill districts, have roiled the region since May 3 and left at least 98 people dead and nearly 40,000 displaced.
Read here: Along with efforts to restore peace in Manipur, army fights disinformation
They were triggered during a protest against a proposal to grant scheduled tribe status to the Meitei community. The authorities clamped a curfew and suspended the internet. Additional security forces were rushed to the state amid spiraling clashes but tensions simmered.