GUWAHATI: After a brief lull, fresh violence erupted in strife-torn Manipur on Friday in which three persons, including a woman, were killed while two others were injured during a firing incident.
It occurred at Khoken village on the boundary of Kuki-majority Kangpokpi district and Meitei-majority Imphal East district at around 4 am.
When a group of unidentified gunmen in army fatigue swooped down on the village, the locals took them for army personnel conducting a combing operation. However, they soon opened fire, killing three villagers and injuring two others.
The deceased were identified as Jangpao Touthang, Khaimang Guite and Domkhohoi (woman). The injured were Thongneh and Thangkhojang.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) condemned the attack.
“It is with profound sadness that we report the heinous attack on Khoken village by Meitei militants disguised in Army uniforms and using Army vehicles, in the early hours of June 9. The Kuki-Zo villagers, unsuspecting of the attackers’ true identity and assuming it was an Army combing operation, gave way but were instead met with automatic rifle fire,” the ITLF said in a statement.
It added that Domkhohoi was offering her early morning prayer at a church when the assailants shot her dead.
“The use of Army uniforms and vehicles by militants raises serious questions about the source of their equipment and the potential involvement of external forces,” the statement further said.
The ITLF called upon the Centre to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice.
“This attack is yet another example of the utter disregard shown by the Meitei militants, separatist mobs, radicalized groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun, and the Meitei-centric state government for the 15-day peace call made by Union Minister of Home, Mr. Amit Shah. Such actions only serve to undermine the efforts of those heeding the Minister’s call for peace,” the statement said.
“As a community, we are fully committed to taking any necessary action, even if it requires us to consistently make the ultimate sacrifice to prevent the ongoing attacks and ethnic cleansing of the Kuki-Zo population by the Meiteis,” the statement added.
On Thursday night, two bike-borne miscreants hurled an improvised explosive device at the gate of MLA Soraisam Kebi's residence in Imphal West. The low-intensity blast failed to cause any major damage.
Till now, nearly 100 people are killed, more than 35,000 others are displaced in the ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis.