On August 4, late at night, militants killed three people, including a father-and-son team in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, according to Police. The incident has re-inflamed tensions in the border region between the Kuki-Zomi-dominated Churachandpur district and the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district, where shooting is currently taking place.
The deceased included a father and son duo, according to police, according to news agency PTI. According to PTI, authorities said that the three were shot dead while they were sleeping and then cut with swords. The three had previously resided at a relief camp, but on Friday, after things had stabilized, they had returned to their Kwakta homes, police said, according to PTI.
The police reported that shortly after the event, a furious mob formed near Kwakta and attempted to move into Churachandpur but was stopped by security officers. A fierce exchange of fire between state forces and militants near Kwakta on Saturday morning resulted in three injuries, one of which was that of a police officer.
The face of the policeman was cut by splinters. All of have been transported to Raj Medicity in Imphal for medical attention. They are no longer in danger, the police stated.
The incident occurs two days after tensions along the border between the two regions were raised by the burial of 35 Kuki-Zomi people.
According to Manipur police, a joint security force carried out an operation in the Koutruk hill range on Friday and demolished up to seven unlawful bunkers.
In the meantime, Imphal Valley’s daily life was paralyzed by the 24-hour general strike that was declared on Saturday by the coordinating committee of Manipur’s 27 assembly constituencies, with markets and commercial institutions remaining closed in nearly all places.
The Manipur cabinet urges the governor to call an assembly meeting:
In the meantime, the Manipur cabinet on Friday suggested that the governor call a session of the parliament beginning on August 21. Violence broke out in the state in May following the March conclusion of the previous assembly session.
In a formal statement, it was said that the State Cabinet had advised the Hon. Governor of Manipur to call the 4th session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 21, 2023.
In a letter to the governor last month, five Congress leaders—including Okram Ibobi Singh, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Manipur Legislative Assembly—said they would meet to discuss and hear suggestions on how to restore peace in the state, which have been marred by ethnic strife since early May. The most suitable platform for this is assembly. Additionally, this Congress had requested that Governor Uikey call an urgent meeting of the assembly to resolve the “ongoing unprecendented turmoil.”
Nearly three months ago, ethnic conflict erupted in the northeastern state, resulting in the deaths of over 160 people and the injuries of hundreds more.
On May 3, after the hill districts organized a “Tribal Solidarity March” to protest the Meitei community’s desire for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, violence broke out.
Tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, make up 40% of Manipur’s population and are primarily concentrated in the hill regions, whereas Meiteis make up around 53% of the state’s population and reside principally in the Imphal Valley.
