Amid the ongoing tension between the two ethnic communities, at least nine more people were injured in a gunfight in the Khamenlok area in Imphal East district on Monday night. According to police, the exchange of fire between militants and village volunteers continued till late on Monday night. Initially, three casualties were reported, but the number mounted as the gun battle continued before both sides withdrew, a police officer said.
The village volunteers also burnt a few makeshift bunkers and a watch-tower built by the militants, he said. The area lies along the borders of the Meitei-dominated Imphal East district and the tribal-majority Kangpokpi district. The injured have been admitted to local hospitals, where the condition of one injured person is stated to be critical while others are out of danger, authorities of the medical establishments said.
Security forces have been deployed in the area in large numbers to prevent further outbreaks of violence and to carry out area domination exercises. Heavy firing between village volunteers and militants erupted in the area on Monday. No major incident was reported in the area for three days before that. In another incident, a militant was killed and two others were injured in a gun-battle with security forces in Govindpur village in Bishnupur district, he said.
The militants were trying to construct bunkers around villages when security forces challenged them, resulting in the gun-battle, the officer said.
At least 100 people lost their lives and 310 others were injured in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki community people in Manipur that broke out a month ago. Army and para-military personnel were deployed to restore peace in the state.
Curfew remains in force in 11 of the 16 districts of Manipur, while internet services are suspended in the entire northeastern state. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
Kukis unhappy, may not attend meetings
Meanwhile, Kuki members included in a committee set up by the Centre to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups of strife-torn Manipur expressed unhappiness, claiming they were not consulted before including their names in the panel. Several Kuki organisations also raised objections to the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the 51-member panel headed by Governor Anusuiya Uikey.
The Meitei community members, however, welcomed the formation of the Peace Committee. The apex body of Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) in a statement said its president has been included in the list of members "without prior and proper consultation and information".
"Kuki Inpi Manipur senses no rationale to pursue peace solely with individuals who have engineered the violence against its people... Peace must be the result of the concerted efforts of the Union Home Ministry and the affected communities. It cannot be a condition to impose normalcy," the KIM said. Kuki-based civil society organisation Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has also condemned the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the panel.
“The creation of such a Peace Committee... by the Central government must be made only after conditions of normalcy and security for Kuki-tribal villages have been secured," the ITLF said in a statement.
(With inputs from PTI)
