Guwahati: A former army jawan was allegedly beaten to death in conflict-hit Manipur's Imphal West district on Sunday night.
Limlal Mate, belonging to the Kuki community, was attacked at Meitei-dominated Sekami after he mistakenly drove his car into the area, said Kuki organisations.
The body of Mate, a resident of Sharon Veng in Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district, was found in a pool of blood on Monday. A source in a Kuki organisation said the victim was a former army personnel. Mate had lost his wife a few years ago and was living with his son, the source said.
Police, however, did not give any confirmation about the incident.
Students' protest in Valley
The Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley on Monday witnessed widespread protests by students demanding action against the Kukis for the fresh violence since September 1. Police had to fire tear gas shells as students pelted stones targeting the Raj Bhawan at Imphal.
A video shared on social media showed a group of protesters removing the tricolor from the Deputy Commissioner's office compound in Thoubal. The same, however, could not be verified with the administration. They shouted slogans seeking protection of territorial integrity of Manipur and rejected Kuki groups' demand for a "separate administration".
As protest escalated, Chief Minister N Biren Singh met representatives of the students at Imphal and assured them to take steps for restoration of peace in the state.
As Meitei organisations announced a "public shutdown" in the Imphal Valley to step up pressure on the BJP government in the state, the administration shut schools and postponed undergraduate and postgraduate examinations scheduled on Monday and Tuesday.
Slain insurgents identified
In another related development, the Manipur police on Sunday night said three out of five persons, who had died in a gunfight between armed groups in Jiribam district a day earlier, were members of the Kuki Liberation Army, an insurgent group. Another deceased was a cadre of UNLF (P), a Meitei insurgent outfit.
According to the police, the three slain KLA members hailed from Churachandpur. "It seems they traversed a long distance to Jiribam to execute subversive activities," the police said in a statement, adding that the UNLF (P) member hailed from Jiribam.
The five were killed hours after a rocket attack claimed the life of an elderly Meitei man at Moirang in Bishnupur district. While the police said Kukis fired the rocket, the latter denied the charge.