Amid reports of fresh violence, at least one person is killed and two others are injured in the curfew-bound Manipur on Wednesday, May 24th. The district authorities revoked the curfew relaxation in the districts of Bishnupur, Imphal East, and Imphal West in Manipur due to the eruption of a new lease of violence.
Earlier, the curfew was relaxed from 6am to 4pm, but then it was reduced to 6am to 2pm on Monday, May 22nd, after tensions spiralled following an incident of arson. The government is reportedly deploying more security forces in the troubled state to handle the volatile situation.
Violence erupted on Wednesday after some miscreants belonging to a certain community had set three houses on fire in Phoubakchao in the Bishnupur district on Tuesday, official reports said. Following this arson, some miscreants belonging to another community reportedly set ablaze four houses in an apparent act of retaliation.
Early on Wednesday, armed mobs raided some villages in Moirang, Bishnupur district. Some inmates of the relief camp at Moirang came out to see what was happening after hearing the ruckus. A teenager from Churachandpur district’s Thengra Leikai, named Toijam Chandramani, was shot in the back. The bullet reportedly passed through the chest. Chandramani succumbed to the injury on the way to a private hospital.
Following Chandramani’s death, the situation around the hospital became tense. Sensing trouble, the district administration and security forces managed to bring the situation under control. Although official reports say two more suffered injury along with Chandramani during the violence in Moirang, unofficial estimates say that the figure can be higher.
Reports of violence, arson, and mayhem have surfaced over the past few days from various districts of Manipur including Churachandpur, Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Tengnoupal, and Kangpokpi. The violence started over a rally by a tribal students’ organisation protesting the listing of the dominant Meitei community in the scheduled tribe’s list. The Meiteis and the Kukis, one of the dominant tribes of Manipur’s hilly regions, blamed each other for the violence.
Over 70 people have been killed in the violence that started on May 3rd, and thousands have been displaced. The Indian Army, the central paramilitary forces and the police have been deployed to bring the situation under control. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, has been criticised by the Opposition for its apparent failure in restoring normalcy in the northeastern state.
