In a recent spate of violence in the unrest-plagued Jiribam district of Manipur, in northeastern India, five persons were shot and killed.
Our New Delhi correspondent writes, quoting police, that four-armed people were murdered in a following gun battle after one guy was shot dead in his sleep.
Approximately five kilometers from the district headquarters, the victim lived alone in a remote region. One night, militants broke into his home and shot him while he was asleep.
After the incident, armed members of the opposing communities opened firing on each other heavily in the hills, around 7 kilometers from the district headquarters.
The police reported that four armed people were slain in the altercation, including three militants from gangs that were based in the hills.
Authorities had to close educational institutions yesterday due to rocket assaults that resulted in one person dying.
The 72-year-old man’s death and the five injuries he sustained in Bishnupur district have escalated tensions in the conflict-ridden Imphal Valley region.
Two rockets were fired; one struck Tronglaobi in Bishnupur, causing damage to two buildings, while the other struck Mairembam Koireng’s home complex in Moirang town, according to officials.
The rocket strikes happened shortly after persons were hit by crude bombs dropped by drones earlier this week at two locations in the Imphal West district.
Since violence between the Kuki-Zo tribes and the majority Meitei community broke out in May of last year, over 200 people have died and almost 50,000 have been displaced. This is the first time drones and rockets have been used in the continuing ethnic conflict.
On the day that thousands of residents in five districts of the Metei-majority Imphal Valley created human chains in protest of the militants’ strikes, the rockets were fired.
The Manipur government said that schools will close in reaction to the attacks, and that security would be stepped up, with troops stationed around the edges of valley districts.
“Security forces are on high alert and moving towards the periphery of valley districts, notably on the side Bishnupur bordering Churachandpur, and Imphal West bordering Kangpokpi districts,” a central security force official told PTI.
According to officials, the Thangjing hill ranges in Churachandpur district were the launch site for the locally made rocket missiles.
All marketplaces and commercial spaces in Moirang town, the remainder of Bishnupur district, and the border regions of adjacent districts in the state were closed after the two attacks, which occurred within a ten-hour period.
To evaluate the situation, local lawmakers T Shanti and Minister L Sushinro Meitei visited the impacted districts.
“Now, the populace is illiterate. Nobody is ready for this new kind of battle, according to a volunteer from the area.
On September 1, in the Imphal West district of Manipur, Koutruk village witnessed the first-ever drone use as a weapon, resulting in two fatalities and nine injuries.
The Imphal Valley’s five districts have been placed under a “public emergency” by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the highest authority of valley-based civil groups, which has accused the government of neglecting to protect its people.
Many areas saw demonstrations against the recent attacks, including human chains involving women and students.
