Imphal: Violence continued in Manipur on Thursday as unidentified gunmen shot dead a woman outside a school in Imphal West district, while intermittent gunfire was reported in Kangpokpi district, officials said. The killing took place at Kwakeithel Mayai Koibi under Lamphel police station a day after classes 1 to 8 began in the state after two months because of the violence.
Officials said she had gone near the school on some work but was not connected with any educational institute. Intermittent gunfire was heard in a village in Manipur's Kangpokpi district early Thursday, hours after security forces thwarted clashes when men armed with automatic weapons began to attack villagers, sources said.
The incident took place around 3.40 pm on Wednesday near Phaileng village, they said. Armed groups from nearby areas gathered in the area, escalating tensions, the sources said. About 1,000-1,500 women blocked roads to prevent additional forces from reaching the area, they said. However, the situation was brought under control because of the deployment of Assam Rifles personnel in the area.
In Churachandpur, about 100 km away, a large number of Kukis in a separate development staged a protest on Wednesday. The rally started at Public Ground and continued till the Tuibong Peace Ground. Nearly 4,000 people participated in the rally, most in 'combat' dress with camouflage on their faces, sources said.
No untoward incident was reported during the rally, which went on till 7 pm. Meanwhile, following the killing of the woman in Imphal West district, a tribal organisation demanded imposition of President's Rule in the northeastern state. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) identified the woman as Donngaihching, a mentally ill person who lived on alms provided by locals.
We again urge the central government to relieve the incapable state government and impose President's Rule immediately, the ITLF said in a statement. More than 100 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Around 40,000 central security personnel, besides the Manipur Police, have been deployed to control the violence and bring back normalcy in the state. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
Meanwhile, a top official from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), wishing anonymity, said that the situation in Manipur was still tense more than three months after the ethnic clash first broke out in the northeastern state.
"Situation in Manipur is still tense but improving," the CRPF official said in New Delhi. "We are doing area domination along with the state police forces, keeping a strict vigil of anti-social elements," the official said. The official admitted that the faultlines drawn in Manipur are a major reason for such violence.
"There are several ethnic tribes and communities which are different from each other in Manipur. However, such faultlines exist in other States of the Northeast as well. In the 90s we have seen clashes between Nagas and Kukis also," the official said. (With inputs from Gautam Debroy)
Also read: Opposition members walk out from Parliament panel meet after demand to discuss Manipur denied
