Suspected extremists gunned down a man in Manipur, triggering fresh violence in the strife-torn State and prompting the authorities to withdraw the relaxation of curfew in vulnerable areas on Wednesday.
The incident happened late Tuesday night in the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district bordering the hill district of Churachandpur, which is the domain of the Kuki-Zomi tribal group.
Officials said that a group of “miscreants” torched some abandoned houses in Tronglaobi village, which is close to the border between the two districts and near a relief camp set up for those displaced during the recent violence. Those affected retaliated by burning down four abandoned houses in the adjoining Gelmol village, and were then fired upon by suspected militants.
Also read: Explained | What is behind Manipur’s widespread unrest?
The bullets hit two people, both said to be staying at the relief camp, which is located in Bishnupur’s Moirang, a town associated with Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army. While Toijam Chandramani, who had been displaced from Churachandpur’s Thengra Leikai, succumbed to his injuries on the way to a local hospital, the other person was undergoing treatment.
Curfew relaxation cancelled
The incident led to protests in parts of Imphal Valley. Reports said that a group of women belonging to the Meitei community briefly blocked an Army convoy headed toward Churachandpur on Wednesday morning.
The protestors said that the Army and paramilitary forces were not taking any action against the Kuki extremists in ceasefire mode despite their alleged involvement in the violence.
As tension flared up, the authorities withdrew the relaxation of curfew from Bishnupur, Imphal East, and Imphal West districts. Curfew had been relaxed from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., after another round of unrest in Imphal’s New Checkon area on May 22.
Manipur erupted in violence on May 3 following a tribal solidarity march to protest a bid to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the majority Meitei people. The State government imposed a curfew in parts of the State and banned mobile internet and broadband service to keep the violence in check.
Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, who also holds the Home portfolio, has sought 20 more companies of Central forces to deal with the recurring violence in some areas.
