GUWAHATI: On a day six persons were killed in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday morning as there is no letup in the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo tribals, there were rumours that Chief Minister N Biren Singh had suggested all NDA legislators should quit.
At a snap meeting called by Singh, 24 MLAs, including six ministers, turned up. What transpired could not be independently verified. Shortly thereafter, Singh went to Raj Bhawan and held discussions with Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya for 40 minutes.
As for the continuing violence, official sources said a 63-year-old Meitei civilian was shot dead in his sleep at Nungchappi village around 5:30 am. In the retaliatory gunfight, five insurgents - four Kukis and one Meitei - were killed.
Later, the violence escalated to a nearby village where intermittent firing continued till 9.50 am, the sources said.
In the wake of the violence, district magistrate Krishna Kumar imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS.
Located in Manipur’s westernmost periphery bordering Assam’s Cachar district, Jiribam has a mixed population of Meiteis, Kuki-Zo tribals, Nagas and various other communities.
It was unaffected by the ethnic conflict in the past year until trouble broke out in the first week of June when the mutilated body of a Meitei farmer was found.
Saturday’s attack came a day after a 70-year-old priest was killed when suspected militants fired a rocket that landed at the residential compound of former chief minister Mairembam Koireng Singh in the Moirang area of Bishnupur district.
Another rocket fired by the suspected militants on Friday morning at Terakhongshangbi in the same district damaged two buildings. The range of such rockets is over 3 km.
Meanwhile, all schools in the state remained closed on Saturday to keep the students and teachers safe.
Minister L Susindro blamed the recent spurt in violence on role of foreigners. “‘Old Kukis’ are being controlled by ‘new Kukis’ who came from Myanmar,” he said.