Imphal: Fifteen houses were set on fire in Manipur's Imphal West district where fresh violence broke out, officials said on Sunday. The incident happened on Saturday evening at Langol Games village as a mob went on a rampage, they said.
Security personnel fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control, they added. A 45-year-old man was shot during the violence. He was admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) with bullet wounds on his left thigh, and is stated to be out of danger at present, officials said.
The situation improved on Sunday morning, but restrictions remained in place, they said. Fresh violence was also reported from Imphal East district's Checkon area where a large commercial establishment was torched on Saturday, officials said. Three nearby houses were also set on fire, they said, adding that firefighters doused the blaze.
The incidents of violence were reported amid the 24-hour general strike called by the coordinating committee of 27 assembly constituencies, which paralysed normal life in the Imphal valley on Saturday. Earlier, three people, including an elderly man and his son, were killed in Bishnupur district on the intervening night of Saturday and Friday. Suspected militants armed with guns and swords raided the Kwakta Lamkhai village and started indiscriminate firing which killed three people on the spot. A few people were also injured in the attack. Unconfirmed reports said that the militants also kidnapped two villagers.
The remaining occupants of the village fled as a result of the attack. Police with additional reinforcement rushed to the areas and recovered the bodies. The deceased were identified as Yumnam Pishak Meitei (67) and his son Yumnam Premkumar Meitei (39) and a neighbour Yumnam Jiten Meitei (46). The ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur in May, and have been continuing for the last three months, claiming over 160 lives. (PTI)
