Imphal (AsiaNews) – Fresh violence has stirred further tensions in the Indian state of Manipur, which has been shaken for months by clashes between different communities.
Four Meitei Muslims were shot dead and several others were wounded on New Year's Day in the district of Thoubal; as a result, local authorities reimposed a curfew in five districts in the Imphal Valley (Thoubal, Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching and Bishnupur).
According to local media, unidentified gunmen, dressed in camouflage uniforms, entered the Lilong Chingjao area and fired indiscriminately at locals, wounding a number of people, some critically.
The attackers are thought to be ethnic Meitei, who came to extort money from a local resident. When they became confrontational, locals tried to chase them away, setting fire to four vehicles used by the attackers. When the latter fled, they fired into a crowd that had formed.
In another incident today in Moreh, a city on the border with Myanmar, seven police agents, including a member of the Border Security Force (BSF), were wounded in an attack by members of a Kuki militia.
In the area, tensions have been high since rebels launched an offensive on the other side of the border.
In a video message, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh slammed the violence, urging residents, especially in Lilong, to remain peaceful.
"Police are working to arrest those behind the attack. They will be arrested soon and punished as per the law," he said.
More than 180 people have been killed and several hundred wounded since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on 3 May.
