Manipur: Four shot dead in Bishnupur as ethnic violence continues in state

Image Source : PTI/FILE Manipur has been witnessing fresh rounds of violence for the last couple of days

Four people were shot dead in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Thursday evening, said the police. According to the police, the fresh round of violence occurred at Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou. The victims, who died, included a man and his 60-year-old father.

"Five-six armed miscreants came when the labourers were tiling the farmland and shot them from point-blank range," the official said quoting one person who escaped the shooting.

The miscreants fled to the hill ranges from where they had come after killing them, the official added.

The fresh incident came hours after two police commandos were killed by militants in the violence-hit state.

Seven killed in 48 hours in Manipur

With these four, at least seven people including two police commandos were killed in separate districts of the state since Wednesday. Two Manipur Police commandos were killed and two sustained bullet wounds after heavily-armed militants targeted them amid renewed violence in Moreh, a business town close to the Myanmar border, on Wednesday, officials said.

The deceased have been identified as Wangkhem Somorjit (32) and Takhellambam Saileshwore from Lamshang in Imphal West district, they said.

Somorjit was hit by bullets during an ambush near Ima Kondong Lairembi Devi temple in the morning. He succumbed to injuries during treatment at Key Location Point (KLP) of Assam Rifles.

Saileshwore was shot dead by militants on Wednesday evening, officials said. Constable N Bheem (35), who was hit by a bullet in his left leg, and ASI Sidharth Thokchom (35), who sustained injuries on his face and ears, were airlifted from Moreh and have been admitted to RIMS in Imphal for treatment, the official added.

(With PTI inputs)

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