As Manipur has been reeling under ethnic violence for quite some time now, fresh violence broke out in Imphal West district where at least two houses were set ablaze and several rounds of bullets were fired. According to the police, the incident occurred in New Keithelmanbi in the Patsoi police station area around 10 pm on Wednesday, October 4.
Later, the blaze was brought under control by fire services personnel and security forces. The accused fled the spot after committing the crime leading to tension in the area, the police added. A mob of Meitei women who gathered in the area following the incident was prevented by the security forces from proceeding further. Additional security has been deployed and the situation is under control, the police added.
Manipur BJP MLA blames foreign terror groups for conflict
Earlier on Tuesday, Manipur BJP MLA RK Imo Singh blamed foreign terror groups for prolonging the conflict in the state and “showing Manipur and the rest of the country in a bad light.” In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, the MLA said legal action should be taken against all those involved in spreading terror in the country and using international platforms to propagate the separatist agenda.
Additionally, Singh also urged the Home Minister to take the Mizoram government’s refusal to stop collecting biometric information from illegal immigrants from Myanmar seriously since “it could change the entire demography of the region.” Singh also requested Shah to fence the entire Indo-Myanamr border in Mizoram “to help in controlling influx of illegal immigrants” so as to protect the indigenous people and strengthen the internal security of the country.
Manipur violence
More than 180 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.
(With PTI inputs)
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