Manipur Violence: 2 Houses Torched As Fresh Tension Erupts In Imphal

Manipur Violence: Two houses were set on fire and several rounds of bullets were fired as fresh violence erupted in Imphal.

Two houses were set on fire and several rounds of bullets were fired as fresh violence erupted in Imphal.

Manipur Violence: Fresh violence broke out in Manipur's Imphal West district, where at least two houses were set on fire and several rounds of bullets were fired, news agency PTI reported on Thursday, citing police. According to the police, the incident took place in New Keithelmanbi in the Patsoi police station area around 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The accused fled the spot after the attack, after which tension was triggered in the area, the police further stated.

Security forces and fire service personnel brought the blaze under control. A mob of Meitei women who gathered in the area following the incident was prevented by the security forces from proceeding further, PTI reported. The police said that additional security was deployed and the situation was under control.

More than 180 people lost their lives and several hundred were injured since the ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.

In another incident, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of recognised tribes in the Lamka town of Outer Manipur, on Monday demanded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) release the five people arrested by the central agencies within 48 hours and warned of more “intense agitations” apart from the indefinite shutdown in the hill areas if the demand was not met. A complete shutdown in the tribal-dominated Churachandpur district, in protest against the arrests, has brought normal life to a standstill.

The NIA on Saturday arrested a teacher, Seiminlun Gangte, from the state’s Churachandpur district, in a case related to a “transnational conspiracy” involving Myanmar and Bangladesh-based “terror groups”, allegedly to wage a war against India, by exploiting the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur. Meanwhile, four others were arrested by the CBI. The central agency said they have arrested four accused in connection with the ongoing investigation of cases related to violence in Manipur.