Manipur violence: Several houses set on fire in Imphal, one person shot

Violence continued in Imphal until late Saturday night after five people were killed in fresh escalation of hostilities in Manipur, PTI reported.

Fifteen houses were set on fire in Imphal West district’s Langol Games village on Saturday evening as a mob went on a rampage, unidentified officials told the news agency. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the miscreants and contain the situation, officials added.

A 45-year-old man was shot in the violence. He has been admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal with bullet wounds on his left thigh and is said to be out of danger, PTI reported.

Violence also erupted in Imphal East district’s Checkon area, where a large commercial establishment was set on fire. Three houses near the building were torched as well, officials said.

The police said that three men from the Meitei community were killed inside their homes in Bishnupur district in the early hours of Saturday, while two from the Kuki-Zo community were killed in Churachandpur.

With these deaths, the toll due to the ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities has risen to 187 since May 3. The unrest, which has continued despite the heavy presence of central security forces, has displaced more than 60,000 people.

Rajkumar Imo Singh, an MLA from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, castigated the security forces on Saturday, saying that it was their duty to protect civilians.

“How on earth did the militants come to the valley locality and kill innocent people who were sleeping?” asked Singh, who is the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. “What is the role of the security forces? Urge MHA [Ministry of Home Affairs] to remove/replace the Units on duty and take action against the officers on duty.”

On Saturday night, the Manipur Police said in a tweet that there was another attempt by miscreants to rob arms from a police team in Imphal West district’s Lilong Chajing.

“However, the police were alerted and they could chase and recover all the four weapons,” the tweet said. “One person was arrested and the car used by the miscreants was also recovered. Raids are continued to arrest other culprits.”

The development comes after a mob, comprising about 500 men and women, ransacked the Keirenphabi and Thangalawai police outposts in Bishnupur district on Thursday and looted weapons. Security personnel had fired at the mob and lobbed tear gas shells to control them, finally thwarting their attack at Heingang and Singjamei police stations.

The police on Saturday claimed that 1,057 arms and 14,201 ammunitions have been recovered from valley areas, while 138 arms and 121 ammunitions have been recovered from the hill areas.