GUWAHATI: Fresh violence in strife-torn Manipur on Friday left several people injured.
The violence, which broke out at Pallel in the Tengnoupal district around 6 am, continued for a few hours. The situation in parts of the state remained tense following the incident.
Various reports suggested that one to two persons were killed and 40 to 50 others, including women, were injured. It could not be officially ascertained if people died or how many of them were injured.
It was learnt that an Assam Rifles jawan was hit by a bullet which was fired by the miscreants but he escaped with minor injuries. Most people sustained injuries during a confrontation with the paramilitary force.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an influential Meitei civil society organisation, said the violence broke out after the first shot was fired from a hill range.
“As per the ground reports we received, the first gunshot was reported from a hill range. State forces and Meitei village volunteers do not have any position on the hillside. Two houses, belonging to Meiteis, were also burned down. So, it clearly proves that the very attack was initiated by Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups,” COCOMI alleged.
The organisation said the attack was pre-planned and an attempt to draw the attention of G20 delegates.
Manipur Police dismissed the reports about fighting between Kuki militants and Meetei village volunteers.
“There are posts on social media regarding the exchange of fire between Kuki militants and Meetei village volunteers, which is not correct. It is clarified that the incident was related to firing between security forces and armed miscreants,” Manipur Police wrote on X, previously Twitter.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) alleged that “Meitei gunmen” dressed in police commando uniforms had attacked Pallel, a Kuki-Zo village.
“As we’ve seen in the past, Meitei women (Meira Paibis) blocked security reinforcements from reaching the area, showing again that they are at the vanguard of the violence,” the tribal organisation said.