Manipur violence: Mob torches 2 vehicles, firing reported

A mob torched two vehicles in Imphal West district while an exchange of fire was reported in Imphal East district, as violence continued in Manipur, officials said on Saturday.

A group of people burnt two private vehicles at Mahabali Road near the historic Kangla fort as they suspected those four-wheelers were being used for ferrying household goods to a particular ethnic community on Friday night, they said.

The police intervened and the mob dispersed. Drivers of both vehicles managed to flee and there was no casualty.

There was an intermittent exchange of fire at Laikot near Yaingangpokpi in Imphal West district between two communities late Friday night.

The incidents occurred after four people including a Manipur police commando were shot dead and several others injured in separate places in Bishnupur district.

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The policeman was killed in a gun battle with suspected militants at Moirang Turel Mapan in the evening, while three others lost their lives in the wee hours in villages of Kangvai, Songdo and Awang Lekhai - all of them on the border of Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts.

Army and Assam Rifles personnel moved to Songdo on Friday night to tackle the situation, officials said.

More than 100 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Around 40,000 central security personnel, besides the Manipur Police, have been deployed to control the violence and bring back normalcy in the state.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.