Manipur Violence: In response to the killing of a second individual in Kangpokpi, police opened fire with tear gas on a throng that had assembled. When the deceased’s body was taken to the state capital of Imphal, the situation became more tense. In defiance of curfew rules, protesters took to the streets to call for justice. To disperse the enraged crowd, police officers and members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) had to use tear gas shells.
Mob gathers in Imphal, demanding justice
The body of a guy murdered earlier that morning in a firefight in Kangpokpi district was carried and laid in a traditional coffin where the mob had assembled at Khwairanband Bazaar in the centre of Imphal. According to officials, a crowd threatened to conduct a demonstration in a procession to the chief minister’s home as demonstrators gathered. In order to avoid being arrested by police, they were also observed burning tyres in the middle of the road. “Police accompanied by RAF personnel arrived at the spot and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Then they shifted the body to the morgue at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences here,” officials said. In the violence, a BJP office was also attacked.
Deadly gunfight erupts in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district
Another incident occurred on Thursday morning in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, where two suspected rioters were killed and at least five others hurt in a gunfight with security personnel. Officials claim that unjustified gunfire was fired at Haraothel village by armed protestors. The security forces members, according to the army, “responded in a calibrated manner” to deal with the situation. The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state has already claimed more than 100 lives. After a “Tribal Solidarity March” was arranged in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s desire for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, fighting first started on May 3. The majority of Meiteis, who make up around 53% of Manipur’s population, reside in the Imphal Valley. Another 40% of the population is made up of the Naga and Kuki tribes, who live in the hill districts.
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER
