3 Killed in fresh violence in Manipur, attackers breached ’Buffer Zone’
Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV
Guwahati, Aug 05, 2023: Three unarmed villagers, including a father-son duo, were killed in fresh violence in Manipur’s Bishnupur district early this morning, according to witness accounts from locals. Suspected militants raided Ukha Tampak village near Kwakta in Bishnupur around 2 am and started firing indiscriminately, police sources said.
Two men, father and son, and another person at the adjoining house, were killed in the firing. They were unarmed villagers guarding their houses.
The three were gunned down while they were sleeping and later slashed with swords, police said on Saturday morning, adding that the attackers came from Churachandpur.
The incident has caused great concern as the attackers were able to breach the buffer zone, between hills and valleys, manned by central security forces, police sources added.
The Manipur Police on Friday said joint forces conducted search operations in vulnerable and fringe areas of the strife-torn state and destroyed seven illegal bunkers after fresh violence broke out across various districts.
A 35-year-old woman was injured late on Thursday in an exchange of fire between unidentified gunmen and state forces at Terakhongsangbi in Bishnupur.
The woman, identified as Aribam Wahida Bibi, suffered a bullet injury on her hand, and she has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Imphal, he said.
Earlier the same day, a mob looted the armoury at the headquarters of the 2nd India Reserve Battalion (IRB) located at Naranseina in Bishnupur district, officials said.
A police officer was killed in Imphal West, while arms and ammunition, including automatic guns, were looted in Bishnupur after mobs ransacked at least two security posts in the district on Thursday.
In Senjam Chirang in Imphal West, a Manipur police personnel was killed after being shot in the head by a sniper. A village volunteer was also injured in the gun battle after suspected militants opened fire in Koutruk and Senjam Chirang from the nearby hill ranges.
Over 25 people were injured in clashes as Army and RAF personnel fired tear gas shells in Kangvai and Phougakchao areas in Bishnupur later in the day to stop processions from proceeding to a proposed burial site, violating restrictions on gatherings.
The Kuki-Zomi organisation, Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, had planned the burial of 35 people, who were killed in ethnic riots in the state at a site in Haolai Khopi village of Churachandpur, resulting in tension in many districts.
The Manipur Police on Friday said joint forces conducted search operations in vulnerable and fringe areas of the strife-torn state and destroyed seven illegal bunkers after fresh violence broke out across various districts.
The northeastern state has been embroiled in ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities, following the Meitei’s demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status. The violence has claimed the lives of hundreds while displacing thousands.