Imphal: At least two village volunteers were killed in firing by unidentified gunmen in Manipur’s Bishnupur district. Police gave this information. The incident took place late Sunday night in Khoijumantabi village when ‘village volunteers’ were guarding the area from a makeshift bunker, a police official said. He said that heavy firing was going on till the time of receiving this news.
The official feared that the number of casualties would increase. Ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state has claimed over 100 lives so far. Violence broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community.
Meiteis constitute 53 percent of Manipur’s population and live mainly in the Imphal Valley. At the same time, tribal communities like Naga and Kuki constitute 40 percent of the population and live mainly in the hill districts.
