2 Killed, Over 20 Injured In Locals vs Security Forces Gunfight In Manipur

Sep 8, 2023 Divya Bharat

Manipur clashes: According to officials, firing started around 6 am and has continued intermittently.

Guwahati:

At least two people have died, and over 20 injured, in fresh violence in strife-torn Manipur today. Heavy exchange of fire between armed locals and security forces has continued since morning in Pallel town of Tengnoupal district, government sources said.

Visuals from the spot showed ambulances rushing to the spot and carrying the injured to hospitals. Security personnel are also inured, sources said.

According to officials, firing started around 6 am and has continued intermittently.

This comes two days after thousands of protesters gathered at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district on Wednesday and tried to break through army barricades in an attempt to reach their deserted houses in Torbung.

“Tension was palpable in the area, with security forces comprising personnel of RAF, the Assam Rifles and Manipur Police firing tear gas shells to bring the situation under control,” officials told news agency PTI.

A day before the protest, a full curfew had been clamped in all the five valley districts of Manipur as a preventive measure, PTI reported.

Over 180 people have been killed, and thousands have been internally displaced, after protests against a Manipur High Court order that asked the state government to recommend Scheduled Tribe status for Meities snowballed into a full-blown ethnic conflict.

On May 3, a “Tribal Solidarity March” was organised in the hill districts to protest against the court order. This protest turned violent when Kukis and Meitis clashed near the border between Churanchandpur and Bishnupur, district, setting off the unrest that has killed many and displaced thousands.

The security forces have created what they call “buffer zones” in areas between Meitei villages and Kuki settlements to avoid the two sides from fighting again.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

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