New Delhi: Unidentified gunmen and police commandos resorted to exchange of gunfire in Manipur’s Moreh on Saturday, news agency PTI reported. One policeman sustained injuries. He is currently undergoing treatment at an Assam Rifles camp.
According to eyewitnesses, the unidentified gunmen targeted a convoy of police vehicles when they were heading towards a Key Location Point (KLP) from Moreh town, PTI reported.
"One policeman sustained splinter injuries when they come under attack while crossing M Chahnou village section of Imphal-Moreh road," PTI quoted an official as saying.
According to the report, indiscriminate firing continued near New Moreh entrance gate and M Chahnou village. Two houses were also set ablaze.
Manipur Village Guard Gunned Down By Unidentified Men
In a separate incident, a village guard at Kadangband was gunned down in Imphal West district, police said, as reported by PTI. He was shot dead by suspected militants from a nearby hill, police added.
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In the wake of the incident, more security forces have been stationed in the village and combing operations are underway, police said.
It is to be noted that Kadangband, situated on the fringes of Imphal West district, shares its boundary with Kangpokpi district which has been witness to ethnic clashes that broke out on May 3 this year. Violence erupted after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts of the state to protest against the demand of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community.
Notably, Meiteis account for around 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. The tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and live in the hill districts.
More than 180 people were killed and around 10,000 army and para-military personnel were deployed to bring back normalcy in the violence-hit northeastern state.