GUWAHATI: After a brief pause, violence erupted at two places in Manipur on Sunday. Local media reported miscreants torched some houses in an area on the border of Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts. Security forces were soon deployed to the area and the situation was brought under control.
Senior police officials have not commented on the incident. Local sources, however, said there could be casualties. Later in the day, a gun battle erupted on the border of Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts. It is unclear if there are any casualties.
Meanwhile, the police arrested four persons in connection with the killing of a Naga woman, Lucy Marem, in the Imphal East district on Saturday evening. Her murder is the first instance of a member of the Naga community—the third largest in Manipur—being targeted in the ongoing violence between Meiteis and Kukis. Before this, Nagas, the third major community of the state, were largely unaffected.
The United Naga Council (UNC) condemned the killing. It demanded that the state government immediately constitute a judicial inquiry panel and arrest all perpetrators of the crime, including members of a women’s group who had allegedly apprehended the victim and handed her over to armed men. UNC said a 12-hour “total shutdown” would be observed in all Naga areas of Manipur from 6 am to 6 pm on Monday.
The Committee on Tribal Unity has also called for a 72-hour “total shutdown” of National Highway 2, to resent the torching of three trucks in Imphal West district on Saturday.