Assam: Fierce fighting erupted Tuesday between Kuki-Zomi and Meitei ‘village defence volunteers’ in the border areas between Manipur’s Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts, claiming the lives of eight people and leaving 29 others injured over the past 72 hours, defence sources told ThePrint.
The fresh violence comes despite the coordinated efforts of the army, paramilitary force of Assam Rifles, Manipur Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to create a buffer zone between the communities in a bid to end the four-month long ethnic violence in Manipur which has claimed around 180 lives so far.
According to defence sources, the deceased — four Meitei and four Kuki individuals — have been identified as Laibujam Inao (27), Oinam Iboiyaima (34), Pebam Deban (50), Moirangthem Gopen (48), Jangminlun Gangte (28), Paukam Kipgen (age not known), L.S. Mangboi Lhungdim (50) and Pausondam (30).
Among those injured are two India Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel who suffered “splinter injuries”, a security official told ThePrint. Their condition is stated to be stable, the official added.
Heavy firing continues in Bishnupur’s Naranseina village. Since early Friday morning, gunfights have also been reported from areas north of Moirang in Bishnupur district, near Phubala and Thamnapokpi villages. Three persons have been injured, defence sources confirmed. A blanket curfew has been extended in Bishnupur district since 29 August when fresh violence broke out.
According to defence sources in the region, in the early hours of Tuesday, fighting was reported from the Khoirentak village in Moirang sub-division of Bishnupur district at around 6.30 am. An individual, identified as Salam Jotin Singh (40), from Naranseina had suffered a gunshot wound near his “chest and shoulder” while working in the fields. He was evacuated to the nearest hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.
Tuesday’s incidents took place mere hours before the Manipur Assembly sat for a Special Session. Skipped by 10 Kuki MLAs, the session lasted a brief 48 minutes — the shortest ever for the 60-member House.
As firing continued throughout Tuesday, and late into the night, two persons were killed and eight others injured.
Additional columns of troops were being obstructed by mobs, often made up of women, Lt Gen P.C. Nair told journalists in Shillong Friday, “Mobs surrounding forces, women blocking roads are new hurdles for the force trained to fight armed insurgents,” he said.
“It’s not the security forces that can solve the problem as is believed. It depends on the locals. We are here only to curtail the levels of violence… But more importantly, we are talking to multiple civil society organisations and various stakeholders to get them to hold talks,” he said, adding that this is an “unprecedented situation” where the “bigger challenge is the presence of a large number of weapons within both communities.”
Also Read: In Manipur, it’s Kuki vs Meitei cops — how unrest exposed ‘ethnic’ faultlines within state police
Fighting over past 72 hours
Search operations were conducted in the area Tuesday and one individual was apprehended, security sources told ThePrint, adding that two weapons were recovered from his possession and he was eventually handed over to police.
Heavy exchange of fire from “automatic weapons and mortars” continued in Naranseina and adjoining areas over the next few days, they added.
The death toll increased to three with one person succumbing to injuries Wednesday. Eight others, including two IRB personnel, sustained injuries.
Firing was reported throughout the day Thursday, resulting in five deaths and leaving 10 more wounded.
The situation across the state remains tense as intermittent exchange of fire continues in the peripheral areas of hill and valley districts.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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