GUWAHATI: The death toll in the new year shooting incident in Manipur rose to five even as the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. One Md Abdur Rajaq, who was grievously injured in the incident, succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital on Wednesday.
The attack on that day was carried out by some gunmen at Lilong, a Meitei Pangal (Meitei Muslim)-dominated area in the Thoubal district of Imphal valley. Over a dozen people were also injured.
Later, the Revolutionary People’s Front claimed responsibility. The insurgent group said the incident occurred during a mission to round up a drug cartel that persistently disregarded warnings to stop drug trade. An official order said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Md Riyajuddin Shah would head the six-member SIT.
Meanwhile, a crisis was averted after a Joint Action Committee of the Meitei Pangals agreed to claim the bodies of victims for last rites. This followed the signing of a MoU with the government in the presence of CM N Biren Singh.