Five killed, houses set ablaze as violence resurges in India’s Manipur

Violence has resurged in India's northeastern Manipur state with gunfight continuing yesterday night between security forces and the Hindu Meitei community after three from the group were killed late Thursday, according to Indian media outlets.

The killing of three people on Thursday night in the Metei-dominated Bishnupur district resulted in the revenge killing of two from the chiefly Christian Kuki community, and a protest march towards the adjoining Kuki-majority district, which eventually erupted into yesterday's gunfight with intervening law enforcers.

Houses of Kuki people were also burnt following the Thursday night killings of rival Meitei people, reports The Hindu.

The months-long outbreak of violence began on 3 May after a court ordered the state to consider extending to the majority Meitei population special economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education that up to now have been reserved for the tribal Kuki people.

Over 180 people have been killed and thousands have fled their homes, since the violence started in Manipur, a state of 3.2 million that borders Myanmar, Reuters reported.

According to Indian news agency PTI, police said that the dead included a father-son duo. The three belonging to the Meitei community were allegedly gunned down while they were sleeping and later slashed with swords, PTI quoted police as saying. The deceased have been identified as Yumnam jiten Meitei, 46, Yumnam Pishak Meitei, 67, and Yumnam premkumar Meitei, 39.

"The three used to stay in a relief camp but had returned to their residences at Kwakta on Friday after the situation had improved," PTI quoted police as saying.

Soon after the incident, an irate mob gathered at Kwakta in Bishnupur district and wanted to head towards the Christian-dominated Churachandpur but was stopped by security personnel, police said.

"Three persons including one policeman were injured following heavy exchange of fire between state forces and militants near Kwakta on Saturday morning. The policeman sustained splinter injuries on his face. All the three have been brought to Raj Medicity in Imphal for treatment. They are out of danger," police said.

This comes days after the burial of 35 Kuki people sparked tensions along the border of the two districts on Thursday.

The location where the burial was proposed to be held is in Torbung, an area at the border of the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district and the Meitei dominated Bishnupur district. Significantly, Torbung is also where violence first broke out on 3 May before spreading to other parts of the state.

This choice of location had set off alarms among security personnel and the Ministry of Home Affairs, with apprehensions of a possible escalation of tensions and violence because of the contested nature of the territory. The night of 2 and 3 August saw meetings taking place into the early hours of the morning among Kuki-Zomi organisations and security authorities and the Indian home ministry, with the latter pushing the outfits to reconsider the planned programme.

In the meantime, on Wednesday, an organisation called the International Meeteis Forum filed a PIL in the Manipur High Court to stop Kuki-Zomi organisations from using the location as a burial site, stating that it is government land where a sericulture farm is located.

The court directed that status quo of the land in question be maintained till the next date of hearing on 9 August, "taking into consideration the potentiality of aggravating the already volatile law and order situation and the possibility of igniting a fresh wave of violence and bloodshed…"

Early on Thursday morning, the local indigenous body issued a statement that it had decided to delay the burial by five days "on the request of the Home Minister".