Unidentified assailants kill 3 in Manipur's Kangpokpi amid ongoing ethnic tensions

Hundreds of protesters at Phougakchao Ikhai, in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Wednesday. Pic/PTI

Manipur witnessed more violence on Tuesday when unidentified armed men, suspected to be cadres of banned terror groups, attacked people from the tribal community this morning killing three of them in Kangpokpi district, officials said. The incident took place between Ireng and Karam Vaiphei villages in the tribal-dominated Kanggui area, located in the bordering districts of West Imphal and Kangpopki.

The three persons had started their journey from Ponlen in Kangpopki district and were proceeding towards Lemakong using the hill road when they were stopped by the armed assailants at Ireng near Singhda dam and gunned down, the officials said, adding automatic weapons were used in the incident. Immediately after hearing the gunshots, security forces and the Army units arrived from nearby locations and saw the three bodies lying in pool of blood, the officials said, adding later Manipur Police arrived at the scene and took over the investigations.

The 19-km 'kacha' hill road is often frequented by the tribals to reach Churachandpur, which otherwise could be easily approached by using the road network going through the Imphal valley. But after the violence that erupted in May, the tribals have refrained from coming down to the valley.

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A central paramilitary post had seen the movement of a group of around 30 people, dressed in police uniforms, in the area. In the past, cadres of the banned terror groups like the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), People's Liberation Army (PLA), Kanglei Yawol Kanba Lup (KYKL) and People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) have been using combat uniform of Manipur Police to carry out attacks on the tribals.

All these organisations are banned under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a joint body of Kuki-Zo tribals, condemned the incident and urged the Centre to crack down on insurgent groups and reimpose the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the valley. The chorus for AFSPA, which has been extended only to the hill areas by the state government for another six months, is gaining momentum among the security establishment as they reason out that the armed assailants including terror cadres disappear in the valley after carrying out attacks on tribals and security forces in the hills. The ITLF said the tribals have steadfastly tried to maintain peace after the initial bout of violence in May but the "unending attacks and arson are testing us to the limit".

Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), a Kangpokpi-based civil society organisation, also condemned the attack. "If the Union government is serious about its appeal for restoration of normalcy, it must immediately declare all the valley districts as disturbed areas and impose the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958," it said in a statement.

The incident comes close on the heels of the violence that broke out at Pallel in Tengnoupal district in which three persons were killed and over 50 injured on September 8. The security agencies have been warning that the terrorists belonging to the banned groups like UNLF, PLA, KYKL and PREPAK were allegedly part of the mob from which gunshots were fired at an army officer that left him severely injured last week.

During a stand-off last week, a bullet hit Lt Col Raman Tyagi in his hand when Army and Assam Rifles were stopping a mob which included Meira Paibis (women vigilantes) from attacking tribals at Molnoi village near Pallel in Tengnoupal district. Lt Col Tyagi had to be airlifted from Manipur to Guwahati where he underwent surgery, the officials said. He was earlier evacuated to a military hospital in Leimakhong by a helicopter, after which he was shifted to neighbouring Assam for specialised treatment.

The investigation into the incident led the security agencies to conclude that the terrorists of the banned groups were part of the crowd, the officials said.

More than 180 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

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