Two soldiers injured as fresh violence erupts in Manipur
“At around 5am, miscreants fired at N Boljang village in Imphal West. Teams of Assam Rifles retaliated, and the situation is under control,” the officer said.
An exchange of fire between armed miscreants and teams of Assam Rifles was reported early on Thursday morning, after the former resorted to unprovoked firing at villagers in Manipur’s Imphal West district, officers aware of the matter said.
Two soldiers, both from Assam Rifles, received minor injuries in the firing exchange, an officer said, declining to be named.
“At around 5am, miscreants fired at N Boljang village in Imphal West. Teams of Assam Rifles retaliated, and the situation is under control,” the officer said. “The operation is still on. One INSAS rifle was recovered from the spot. The rifle was looted from the police station.”
Though some officers maintained that there were casualties among the armed miscreants, there was no official confirmation of the same till late on Thursday evening.
“…Both soldiers of Assam Rifles who were injured are doing good & will join their buddies in Company Operating Base soon. Search Operations to Continue,” Indian Army’s Spear Corps said in a tweet.
In Kangpokpi district, “intermittent firing” between the armed miscreants and Assam Rifles was reported between 2am and 3am at Harothel. A team of Assam Rifles had reached the spot after receiving reports of miscreants firing in the area, officers said.
The incidents of firing came hours after a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) blast in a vehicle in Bishnupur on Wednesday evening, in which three teenagers were injured. The injured civilians are admitted at two hospitals in Bishnupur.
At least 115 people have been killed, over 300 injured and nearly 40,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state between numerically dominant Meitei community — which forms 53% of the state population — and tribal communities, especially Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts.
Violent clashes broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The authorities clamped a curfew and suspended internet, pumping in additional security forces to break the spiraling clashes. The internet connectivity is still not fully back in Manipur as the police suspect photos and videos containing hate messages and fake reports would fuel the violence in the state, where normalcy is yet to be restored.
Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah has called an all-party meeting on Saturday to discuss the situation in the violence-hit state. “Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has convened an all-party meeting on 24th June at 3PM in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Manipur,” the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said in a tweet.
