Imphal (TIP)- Two persons were killed and 50 others, including an Army Major, were injured in fresh violence in Manipur on Friday, Sedptember 8, when hundreds of people from the majority community attempted to storm tribal villages, officials said.
In the morning, a gunfight erupted at Molnoi village near Pallel in Tengnoupal district between the security forces and armed persons who attempted to resort to arson and violence in the village.
As the news of the gunfight spread, large groups of Meitei community members, including Meira Paibis and Arambai Tenggol militiamen dressed in commando uniforms, attempted to break through security check-posts and move towards Pallel. Security personnel attempted to stop the mob to ensure peace and stability in Pallel, where the situation has been tense for a few days. Being blocked by the forces, some armed persons who were dressed in police uniforms and part of the mob opened fire, resulting in gunshot injuries to an Army Major. The officer was evacuated to a military hospital in Leimakhong by a helicopter. Three other police personnel were also injured in the incident. In a calibrated response, the forces used minimum force to disperse the mob, officials said. More than 45 women were injured after security men lobbed teargas shells to defuse the situation. The morning gunfight led to one death, the officials said. Also, a 48-year-old man was killed in the crossfire.
Earier on September 6, local groups defied prohibitory restrictions and tried to remove army barricades in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Wednesday, sparking clashes that left over 40 injured according to news agency PTI, hours after the administration clamped curfew in five Valley districts to stave off violence.
The clashes were reported from Phougakchao Ikhai bazaar, 52 km south of Imphal, along the Imphal-Churachandpur route, after the crowd gathered in response to a call by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a Meitei civil society organisation, to remove security barricades at Phougakchao Ikhai village.
COCOMI has sought the removal of the barricades from Meitei-inhabited areas in Phougakchao Ikhai village up to Torbung, another Meitei-inhabited village, along the border of Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts. The groups says this is needed for the resettlement of community members who have been displaced in the ongoing ethnic violence that has lasted four months.