Authorities in Imphal on Wednesday reimposed a curfew after a mob gathered in front of a Manipur Rifles camp in the state capital and unsuccessfully attempted to snatch arms.
District authorities in both Imphal West and Imphal East cancelled curfew relaxations that had been in place from 5 am to 10 pm as per an order issued on Tuesday. Essential services such as medical, petrol pumps, courts will, however, be exempt from the curfew.
Earlier in the day, firing was reported in parts of Imphal and locals said they could hear gunshots. An Army official told Scroll that the security forces fired gunshots to disperse crowds that had gathered in front of the Manipur Rifles camp.
No casualties have been reported.
The development comes a day after a Manipur Police officer was shot dead by suspected Kuki militants in the state’s Moreh town bordering Myanmar. Sub Divisional Police Officer Chingtham Anand was shot dead while he was on duty overseeing the cleaning of a school ground for the construction of a helipad.
The recent flare-up in violence comes as the state continues to reel from ethnic violence between the Kukis and the Meiteis that broke out on May 3. The violence had ensued after thousands of people had participated in a protest march to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list.
Over 200 people have been killed in the state in the ethnic conflict and nearly 60,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes.
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