- A clash between two groups of militants in the Tengnoupal district of Manipur on Monday resulted in 13 deaths.
- The security forces recovered 13 bodies from the spot and said that the victims were not locals.
- The incident occurred in Leethu village, which is close to the border with Myanmar.
- The state government restored mobile internet services in most parts of the state on Sunday, except for some areas where caste violence has been raging since May 3.
Imphal: An official from Tengnoupal district said that a group of militants on their way to Myanmar was ambushed by another group of militants who dominate the area. He said that the incident happened in Leethu village on Monday afternoon. According to officials, the security forces who reached the spot have so far found 13 bodies. The people killed have not yet been identified but it appears that they were not locals. Tengnoupal district shares its border with Myanmar.
The internet ban
The Manipur government on Sunday restored mobile internet services in the entire state except a few areas till December 18. According to the notification, to improve law and order and keep in mind the inconvenience caused to the people due to the mobile internet ban, the state government has decided to relax the internet service ban. According to the notification, the ban on services of mobile towers providing services within a radius of two kilometers will continue in the areas between Chandel and districts like Kakching, Churachandpur, and Bishnupur.
The caste violence
It is noteworthy that since May 3, violence has been raging in Manipur due to caste clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities. At least 182 people were killed and about 50,000 were left homeless in these clashes. ‘Tribal Solidarity March ’ in the hill districts to protest against the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the Meitei community in the state. After the event, caste violence broke out. The Meitei community constitutes about 53 percent of Manipur’s population and they live mostly in the Imphal Valley. At the same time, the share of tribal communities like Naga and Kuki is 40 percent and they mostly live in the hill districts.
