Four men were killed and five others sustained critical bullet injuries in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Monday evening, officials said, prompting the state government to tighten curfew in the restive state where nearly 200 people lost their lives in ethnic violence last year, reports Hindustan Times.
Senior police officials confirmed the killings in Thoubal’s Lilong area, but said they were yet to reach the spot at the time of filing this report. Local residents of Lilong also confirmed the firing and shared photos of the dead victims on the ground.
An official said that around 6pm, a group of militants went to Lilong Chingao area for a suspected extortion bid. “The information we have is that people gathered to protest the extortion bid. During this, the militants fired, which led to at least eight people sustaining bullet injuries. Four of them have died. But police are yet to reach the spot because of protests and crowds there,” said the official, according to HT.
The area is inhabited by Meitei Pangals, Muslims from the dominant community who have yet not been involved in the ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki groups that started on May 3. Unlike Meiteis who are unable to cross the valley districts (Meiteis live in the Imphal valley) and Kukis who do not enter valley districts and confine themselves in the hills, Meitei Pangals have yet not been attacked by any group and often help people in travelling through the volatile state.
Enraged by the attack, locals set fire to vehicles believed to be used by the assailants. Police officials confirmed the incident but declined to comment further.
Chief Minister N. Biren Singh condemned the violence and appealed for calm. “The police are working to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he said in a video message. “I urge everyone, especially residents of Lilong, to remain peaceful and assist the authorities in apprehending the criminals.”
A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the killings were not related to the ongoing ethnic tensions between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The source indicated a possible connection to narcotics and drug activity, according to The Hindu.
The killings come just two days after militants attacked Manipur police commandos inside their barracks, during which rocket propelled grenades (RPG) were fired. Militants and security forces exchanged fire on Sunday evening near the border town of Moreh, in what was a fresh escalation of ethnic violence.
A nearly one-month long lull in ethnic strife was ruptured last Saturday when a gunfight broke out between Meitei and Kuki village volunteers, in which one person died. Before Saturday, 13 people were killed in a gunfight on December 4 in Tengnoupal district.
Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic violence since early May as clashes erupted between the Meiteis, the most populous community in the state, and the tribal Kukis.
While a bulk of the violence took place in the days after May 3, attacks between communities have continued intermittently ever since.
(Inputs from various reports)
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