A volunteer on guard duty was killed on Saturday as fresh violence broke out in Manipur, reported The Indian Express.
Jamesbond Ningombam, 35, was part of the group of village volunteers guarding a locality in Imphal West when they were attacked by unidentified armed men in the Kadangband area of Imphal West district. The gunfight lasted until the morning.
Ningombam, who was injured in the firing, died of profuse bleeding. His body was kept at the mortuary in the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal.
Since May 3, the northeastern state has been wracked by ethnic violence between the Kukis and the Meiteis. The violence has left over 200 persons dead and displaced at least 60,000 residents of the state. Kadangband, one of the areas hit by the violence, shares a boundary with the Kuki-Zo-dominated district of Kangpokpi.
In another incident, a commando of the Manipur Police was injured in a heavy exchange of fire between unidentified gunmen and security forces on Saturday afternoon in Moreh town of Tengnoupal district, PTI reported.
The commando was injured when gunmen attacked a police vehicle at Chikim Veng on the way from Moreh, which is located close to the border between India and Myanmar.
The police said that the incident occurred while the Manipur Police commandos were conducting routine reconnaissance in the area.
“Initially, two bombs exploded, followed by 350 to 400 rounds of fire,” an unidentified official said. “One commando sustained shrapnel injuries when they came under attack while crossing the M Chahnou village section of Imphal-Moreh road.”
The injured, who is receiving treatment at Assam Rifles Camp, has been identified as Ponkhalung of the India Reserve Battalion.
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