At Least Five Killed As Fresh Violence Erupts In Manipur— All You Need To Know

Violence erupted in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday, a day after a person was killed and five others injured in Bishnupur district as suspected Kuki militants fired improvised rockets at villages.

One person was shot dead in his sleep while four armed persons were killed in a subsequent exchange of fire, a police officer said, news agency PTI reported.

Following the killing, a heavy exchange of fire broke out between armed men of the warring communities in the hills around seven kilo meters away from the district headquarters. The firing led to the deaths of four armed persons, including three hills-based militants, further added the officer,

According to the report, militants entered the house of the person who lived alone in an isolated location around five kilo meters away from the district headquarters, and shot him dead in his sleep.

The fresh clashes come despite an agreement between Meitei and Hmar communities to restore normalcy and 'prevent incidents of arson and firing'.

Earlier, the attacks on Friday began in the early morning hours, around 4.30 am, in Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district, with improvised rockets destroying two structures during the attack.

A renewed surge of violence has gripped Manipur, with incidents earlier this week in Imphal West where two people were killed and several injured after crude bombs were dropped via drones on villages.

In a strong condemnation of violence, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh labelled the attacks as "acts of terrorism," and said, “Manipur state government takes such unprovoked assault with utmost seriousness and will take up necessary response to fight such forms of terrorism upon the indigenous population.”

In response to the ongoing violence, the Manipur Education Department has ordered the closure of all educational institutions across the state on 7 September.

Additionally, the Valley-based civil society group, the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), declared an indefinite "public emergency," urging residents to remain indoors citing “unabated attacks by Kuki militants.”

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