Three Meitei Butchered at Kwakta; One other Killed and three injured in Fresh Firing
In fresh reports of alleged Kuki Militants attacked at Meitei Village, one was killed and three others sustained bullet injuries at Terakhongsangbi, Bishnupur District.
The three injured are identified as Paonam Apollo, (32 years), Paonam Mobi (CDO), and Longjam Olen (17yrs), another person succumbed to injuries and his identity is yet to be ascertained.
On the other side, many womenfolks took to the street in Uripok in protest against the brutal killing of the three meitei civilians at Kwakta. Effigies of PM Narendra Modi and the Home Minister burnt down demanding fair action against the present escalating turmoil in Manipur.
Tension escalated in the Kwakta area of Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Saturday morning after three civilians were shot and butchered.
The situation remains tense in the region, as a team of police, led by the Superintendent of Police, Bishnupur district, encountered blockades by Assam Rifle personnel near Kwakta. Reportedly authorities are closely monitoring the situation, with further details yet to be disclosed.
As per the police, suspected Kuki militants raided the Kwakta Lamkhai village and started indiscriminate firing which killed three Meitei people, including an elderly man and his son, on the spot at around 3:30 am.
The remaining inhabitants of the village fled as a result of the attack. Police with additional reinforcement rushed to the areas and recovered the bodies.
The deceased were identified as Yumnam Pishak Meitei (67) and his son Yumnam Premkumar Meitei (39) and a neighbor Yumnam Jiten Meitei (46).
Yumnam Pishak was slaughtered inhumanly with a native machete on the neck and chest, and his son Yumnam Premkumar on his right leg, left arm, and neck. Yumnam Jiten was brutally slaughtered and shot in the head.
Following this, a heavy exchange of firing between state forces and kuki militants, at the firing incidents Bishnupur Commando personnel P. Apollo of Kwakeithel Mayaikoibi was injured and had been given first aid at District Hospital Bishnupur and further referred to Raj Medicity for further medical attention.
Meanwhile, the 24-hour general strike called by the coordinating committee of 27 assembly constituencies in Manipur on Saturday paralyzed normal life in Imphal Valley, with markets and business establishments remaining shut in almost all localities.
Public transport stayed off the road and only a few private vehicles were seen plying on the streets. Schools also remained closed due to the strike from midnight.
The hill districts, however, have largely been unaffected by the strike, which was called by the committee to demand an emergency assembly session to discuss various issues.
The state, which remains curfew bound, has seen a recent flare-up of hostilities between the two warring communities — the Meiteis and Kuki-Zomis, after an announcement of a public mass burial of tribals killed during the ongoing race riots. The tension between the two communities also heightened after talks between former Kuki militant organizations and the Centre were restarted.
Meiteis account for about 53 percent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute little over 40 percent and reside in the hill districts.
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