Village volunteer killed, Army JCO injured in Manipur

way2barak, Feb 13: In Manipur’s Imphal East district on Tuesday a gunfight between two rival communities resulted the death of a 25-year-old village volunteer, while two others sustained injuries. In addition, a separate incident left an army personnel wounded by gunfire in Imphal East district.

The shootout occurred at Pukhao Shantipur in Kangpokpi district. According to a senior officer, despite efforts to transport the deceased volunteer to a private hospital in Imphal, he succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, tensions had been simmering in Pukhao and neighbouring hill areas since Sunday night, with sporadic gunfights reported in the region.

In a separate but related incident, the army personnel suffered gunshot injuries to the right calf while attempting to quell disturbances in Imphal East district. The incident occurred as security personnel responded to reports of firing by unidentified individuals in various locations across the district. “The Junior Commissioned Officer has been evacuated by helicopter to the Military Hospital in Leimakhong Military Station and his condition is reported to be stable,” the police said.

Around 200 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.