Manipur: Fresh violence & arson in Jiribam, over 200 people moved to relief camp

Imphal, Jun 8: The situation remains critical in Manipur's Jiribam district, as fresh violence broke out, resulting in the evacuation of more than 200 people.

These people belonging to Meitei villages have been moved to safer locations.

According to reports, the houses of the people staying in the relief camp at Jiri Sports Complex were burned in the outlying villages of Lamtai Khunou, Dibong Khunou, Nunkhal, and Begra in the Jiribam district by suspected militants.

An official said that most of the newly displaced people were staying in villages more than 30 km from Jiribam town, adding that "more security personnel have been rushed to the area."

The Manipur police have ordered state police commando personnel based in Imphal Valley to proceed to Jiribam on Saturday for duty with immediate effect.

It may be mentioned that earlier on Thursday evening, a tense situation prevailed after a 59-year-old man belonging to one community was killed allegedly by militants belonging to another, police said.

The man, identified as Soibam Saratkumar Singh, went missing after he had gone to his farm in the morning. Later, his body was found with wounds made by a sharp object, a police officer said.

Following the incident, irate locals set fire to an abandoned structure as retaliation, he said.

Locals also staged a protest in front of the Jiribam police station, demanding that their licensed firearms taken from them in the wake of the elections be returned to them after the completion of the polls.

Jiribam, which has a diverse ethnic composition comprising Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis, and non-Manipuris, has so far remained unaffected by the ethnic strife that has been raging in Manipur since May last year.

The ethnic conflict between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hill-based Kukis has led to the deaths of over 200 people and rendered thousands of people homeless.