Manipur Violence: Four Killed, Including Police Commando, In Bishnupur As Unrest Continues

Violence escalates in Manipur with four fatalities, including a police commando, in separate incidents. Several others were injured.

Violence in Manipur has escalated as four people, including a Manipur police commando, were killed and several others were injured in separate incidents in Bishnupur district, news agency PTI reported citing officials. The unrest began on Friday (July 7), when a police officer was killed in a gun battle with suspected militants at Moirang Turel Mapan. Three more people were killed in villages near the border of Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts in the early hours of the same day, including a teenage boy.

According to the report, the intermittent shooting between the two communities had been going on in the area since Thursday night, adding to the tense situation. The police commando involved in the gun battle, Pukhrambam Ranbir, suffered a head injury and was rushed to the district hospital. Despite efforts to transport him to a hospital in Imphal, he succumbed to his wounds en route, it said. 

Meanwhile, three people, including the teenage boy, were killed and several others were injured in the villages of Kangvai, Songdo, and Awang Lekhai, which are located along the border between the two districts, the report said. 

Mobs obstructed the movement of security forces in the region, which was concerning. Additional security personnel have been deployed via alternate routes to address the situation.

Over 100 deaths and over 3,000 injuries have been reported since May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, according to the report. In response, approximately 40,000 central security personnel, along with the Manipur Police, have been dispatched to the state to restore peace and normalcy, it added. 

Manipur's population is primarily made up of Meiteis, who make up approximately 53 per cent of the population and live primarily in the Imphal Valley. The remaining 40 per cent are Tribal Nagas and Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Authorities continue to prioritise efforts to bring the situation under control and reduce the ongoing violence.