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Locals flee village where 13 were killed in Manipur
On Monday, the 13 men were killed in a fresh incident of violence in Manipur -- the highest single-day toll reported in the state in six months, and one that punctured the tenuous peace in the strife-torn region once again
Residents of Leithao village in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district fled their homes on Tuesday, a day after 13 people died in a gunfight with the village’s defence volunteers in the village, people aware of the matter said. Until late Monday night, teams of police and Assam Rifles were at the village of Kukis. Leithao village had been relatively peaceful since tension first erupted in the state on May 3 because of which security forces were not posted in the village. The nearest security post is around 10km away in Saibol.
“After the security forces left on Monday night, all the villagers fled. They are all staying with their relatives in Chehlep and Phalbung village, which is also in Tengnoupal. We request security forces to come and guard our villages. The militants will again come to attack us,” said Jamkhogin Lupho, secretary of the Leithao village. Police and security forces in parts of the state have been on high alert after the bodies were taken to Imphal late on Monday night. Videos shared on social media showed people holding a candle light vigil on a main road of the state capital as the police convoy passed by . The security detail was also increased at the mortuary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal West, where the bodies were kept for autopsy. JMINS mortuary is already under the security cover of the Border Security Force (BSF) because it has at least 26 unclaimed bodies of Kukis who died in the ethnic clashes.
“We want a permanent post of the Assam Rifles in the village. In the map, the Assam Rifle camp at Saibol and the temporary one at Bongmol appear to be near to our village but it is difficult for them to reach the village on time if there is any emergency. There is no proper road connecting our village. Before the shooting happened, the militants also ransacked the houses. Many people were out working in the fields when they (the militants) entered the village. From my house alone, they fled with nearly ₹45,000,” the village chief added.
The village, which comes under the territorial jurisdiction of Machi police station in Tengnoupal district, has nine houses and around 70 residents.
On Monday, the 13 men were killed in a fresh incident of violence in Manipur -- the highest single-day toll reported in the state in six months, and one that punctured the tenuous peace in the strife-torn region once again. The villagers claimed that there were more than 20 armed men who attacked the village. While 13 were killed, the others fled . While police did not comment on how the 13 men were killed, villagers said the 13 died after a gunfight with village defence volunteers that lasted around half an hour. No casualties were reported by villagers on the other side.
Neither police nor security forces confirmed the identity or ethnicity of the 13 people who were killed.
But mid-level police officers, said police have established the identify of all the 13 men. “So far ,we have not found the 13 men to be connected with any militant group. They are all from Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching districts. The family members have also confirmed the identity. The bodies have been kept in the JMINS mortuary for post-mortem,” a mid-level police officer said.
Manipur has been roiled by ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and the Kukis since May 3. The clashes have left at least 182 dead (excluding the 13 who died on Monday) and around 50,000 homeless. The largest single-day toll in the state before Monday was reported on June 14, when nine people were shot dead in different areas of Kangpokpi district.
With incidents of violence reducing in recent days, the state government on Sunday resumed mobile internet services across the state, except in the buffer zones -- small areas with a radius of around 2km that connect valley districts with hill districts. The Meiteis, the dominant community in the state, largely live in valley. The Kuki tribals live in the hill districts.
