Guwahati: Two people died and 49 were injured after violence erupted once again in strife-torn Manipur on Friday morning. A fierce gun battle between armed miscreants and the security forces took place at Pallel in the state's Kakching district. The firing reportedly broke out at around 6 am after the personnel of Assam Rifles tried to control an ongoing gun battle between two groups.
An armed village volunteer was reportedly killed in the exchange of fire and a resident of Kakching district, identified as Yengkhom Jiten (43), succumbed to bullet injuries. At least 49 people have been reportedly injured so far, with some of them being shifted to Jivan Hospital in Kakching while others have been rushed to Imphal. Five of the injured were reportedly hit by stray bullets.
Following the incident, the Meira Pabis, women torch bearers, as they are locally known, took to the streets and blocked the roads in protest against the excessive violence in the state.
The security forces including the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, Manipur police, and other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) immediately cordoned off the area and tried to bring the situation under control.
Additional forces have been deployed in the area to bring the situation under control and to maintain peace in the district while preventing any further untoward incidents.
Meanwhile, Manipur police took to X and clarified: "There are posts on social media regarding exchange of fire between Kuki militants and Meetei village volunteers,which is not correct. It is clarified that the incident was related to firing between security forces and armed miscreants at Pallel."
Several people in the Pallel area reportedly vacated their villages soon following the incident and have taken shelter in a nearby Border Security Force (BSF) camp.
At least 175 people have been killed and several thousand others have been injured in the four-month-long ethnic clashes in the state. Thousands of others have also been rendered homeless and are currently taking refuge in temporary relief camps set up by the respective district administrations in different areas of the state.
Moreover, according to data from the Manipur Social Welfare Department, around 12,694 displaced children are also living in these relief camps across the state with over a hundred of them being severely traumatised and needing professional counseling.
Clashes between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities broke out on May 3 this year after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.
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