At least 13 killed as violence grips Manipur

NT Correspondent

Manipur: As per locals, at least 13 lives have been lost in two days of mob violence that sprung out of a massive opposition by Manipur’s tribal communities to the demand of the northeastern state’s majority community, the Meiteis, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Last month, the Manipur High Court had asked the Bharatiya Janata Party government to consider petitions for the Meitei community’s demand and decide on it “expeditiously”.

As of Friday, around 20,000 people were stranded in several parts of the state, a police officer told a media house. Homes of many senior police officials, including Manipur Director General of Police P Doungel, have also been attacked. Miscreants threw stones at Doungel’s home in Imphal.

Several shops, houses, churches, temples and vehicles were either vandalised or set on fire in Imphal, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts. On Friday, intermittent gunfights between militant groups and security forces took place at Kangvai in Churachandpur district, the western hill range of Phougakchao in the adjoining Bishnupur district and Dolaithabi and Pukhao in Imphal East district, a cop told PTI.