Five people died in an exchange of gunfire that occurred early Saturday between Kuki and Meitei groups in Jiribam district amid a fresh bout of violence in the northeastern state.
Police said that one person was shot dead in his sleep while four armed persons were killed in subsequent exchange of fire. Militants entered the house of the person who lived alone in an isolated location around 5 km from the district headquarters and shot him dead in his sleep.
After the killing, a heavy exchange of fire broke out between armed men of the warring communities in the hills around 7 km from the district headquarters, leading to the deaths of four armed persons, including three hills-based militants. This comes a day after suspected militants fired two rockets in Bishnupur district, killing one person and injuring five others, as tension gripped the Imphal Valley region following high-tech attacks over the past few days.
Drone Attacks
The rocket attacks came after drones were employed to drop bombs on people at two nearby places in Imphal West district earlier this week. Both are earlier unheard of in the state where ethnic violence left over 200 people dead and thousands homeless since May last year. On Friday, thousands of people across five districts of the Imphal Valley formed human chains to protest the attacks by militants.
The Manipur government announced the closure of schools on September 7 given unrest arising out of bomb attacks. Officials said that Friday’s first rocket attack was reported at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district. The second rocket fell on the compound of former chief minister Mairembam Koireng’s residence in Moirang town, killing an elderly man and injuring five others.
High alert
“Security forces are on high alert and moved towards the periphery of valley districts, notably on the side Bishnupur bordering Churachandpur, and Imphal West bordering Kangpokpi districts,” a central security force official told PTI. Officials said the “unguided” rocket missiles were locally improvised and were fired from elevated Thangjing hill ranges of Churachandpur district towards the low-lying Moirang town.
Following the two attacks, all markets and business establishments were shut down in Moirang town and the rest of Bishnupur district and border areas of nearby districts of the state. In Friday’s rocket attack, 72-year-old RK Rabei Singh was killed and five others were injured in the attack near the historic INA headquarters.
The use of drones as a weapon was first noticed in Manipur on September 1 in Koutruk village in Imphal West district. In the attack in which guns were also used, two persons were killed and nine others were injured. The remote-controlled small flying device was employed again in Senjam Chirang, around three km away, the next day.
(With agency inputs)
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