Two farm houses belonging to village head set ablaze in Manipur's Jiribam

Imphal: Two empty farm houses belonging to a village head were set ablaze in Manipur's restive Jiribam district, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place in Nungkhal area late on Saturday night when the farm houses belonging to Hilghat gram panchayat pradhan L Somorendro were set on fire suspectedly by militants, a police officer said.

Security forces have reached the spot and are investigating the incident. Further details are awaited.

The incident was reported after militants attacked a village in the vicinity of the Borobekra police station and charged bombs on Saturday morning, leading to a gunfight with security forces. No injuries were reported in the incident.

The violence was reported days after talks were held between MLAs of the warring Meitei and Kuki communities in New Delhi in a bid to hammer out a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict.

More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kukis in Manipur since May last year.

Ethnically-diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by ethnic violence in Imphal Valley and adjoining hills, erupted in violence after a mutilated body of a farmer was found in the fields in June this year.

Thousands had to leave their homes and relocate to relief camps due to incidents of arson by both sides. A CRPF jawan was also killed in an ambush by militants during patrolling by security forces in mid-July.