GUWAHATI: After a brief lull, fresh violence occurred in strife-torn Manipur on Saturday. However, there was no casualty.
The police said an exchange of gunfire was reported from the Mongbung Meitei village in Jiribam district. It started around 11:30 am and continued till 2 pm.
In the wake of the violence, elderly people, women and children were moved to safer places, the police said.
The firing ended when security forces were rushed to the site to bring the situation under control. The Mongbung Meitei village witnessed multiple attacks during the ethnic conflict.
Located on Manipur’s westernmost boundary adjoining the Cachar district in Assam’s Barak Valley, Jiribam has a mixed population of people from Meitei, Kuki-Zo and other tribal and non-tribal communities.
It remained unaffected for over a year until violence broke out here in June following the discovery of the body of a 59-year-old man killed by the militants.
Meanwhile, a Meitei youth, who was reported missing along with two others on Friday when they had left home to take part in an army recruitment rally at New Keithelmanbi in the Imphal West district, was rescued on Saturday. There was, however, no trace of the two others, the local media reported.
The three youths hail from the Thoubal district. A “joint action committee” formed by the locals in Thoubal met senior officials of the district administration on Saturday and requested them to step up efforts to trace and rescue the duo.
In a social media post, a Kuki-Zo leader said the trio was caught by the Kukis and later, released unharmed.
On the other hand, normal life was affected in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts on Saturday during a shutdown called by some Kuki-Zo groups in protest against security advisor Kuldiep Singh’s statement about an intel that 900 armed Kuki militants entered Manipur from Myanmar.
The state government has already retracted the claims stating that the intel could not be substantiated on the ground.