In Manipur, man shot dead, two injured in fresh violence

One person killed and two injured in clashes between armed groups in Manipur. The violence has resulted in over 150 deaths and 40,000 displaced.

GUWAHATI: One person was killed and at least two others sustained injuries in violent clashes between two armed groups in violence-hit Manipur on Monday, officials said.

Tyres and construction materials set on fire by miscreants amid ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, in Imphal East district, Friday, June 16, 2023 (PTI)

The incidents of indiscriminate firing were reported from Phayeng and Singda villages along Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts on Monday morning, officials said. There was reportedly a lull in firing for few hours before the incidents.

“Additional security personnel were deployed in the area, and they managed to control the situation,” an Indian Army official said, requesting anonymity.

The buffer zone between the two villages is manned by Assam Rifles.

Initially it was presumed that the deceased was a policeman, but it was later clarified that the victim was a civilian, who was carrying a .303 rifle. It is suspected that the weapon was one of the nearly 4,000 arms looted from police stations and government armouries by mobs in the first few days since violence started in Manipur on May 3.

Around 150 people have been killed, over 300 injured and nearly 40,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state between numerically dominant Meitei community — which forms 53% of the state population — and tribal Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts.

Despite heavy deployment of Army and paramilitary personnel, imposition of curfew and total internet shutdown since May 4 to prevent spread of misinformation, the violence has continued.