Imphal, Sep 7
Violence continued in strife-torn Manipur for the second day on Saturday after an elderly Meitei community resident was killed and in ‘retaliation’ four Kuki militants were gunned down in the Jiribam district.
The fresh incident of violence took place in Serou, Moljol, Rashidpur and Nungchappi villages in Jiribam district, adjoining southern Assam.
Intermittent firing continued until 10 am on Saturday.
The situation remains extremely tense as the Jiribam district is the new region of armed hostilities further escalating the ethnic conflict between the non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities.
A huge contingent of Assam Rifles, other Central Armed Police Force personnel and Manipur police commandos have rushed to all the places where fresh incidents of violence took place since Saturday morning.
Details of all the Saturday’s incidents are awaited.
A police official said that since Tuesday, the suspected Kuki militants started attacking different areas of the Jiribam district, during which an elderly Meitei resident was killed while the victim was sleeping.
He said in “retaliation”, four Kuki militants were gunned down.
However, there is no clarity from the police who conducted the “retaliatory attack”.
Kuki tribal leaders claimed that the slain cadres were not militants; they were “Village Volunteers”.