Written & Edited – Aditi Mishra
After women’s organizations tried to get past the buffer zone on Thursday, police officers had to open fire with tear gas and bullets in the air in Bishnupur.
Three men were allegedly shot dead in their homes in the Kwakta region of Bishnupur district in the early hours of Saturday, according to officials familiar with the situation. The incident occurred in the early morning hours, at 3 a.m. According to them, the armed miscreants also hacked the bodies of the villagers before departing the scene.
According to the above individuals, the deceased have been identified as Yumnam Pishak Meitei (67), his son Yumnam Premkumar Meitei (39), and their neighbor Yumnam Jiten Meitei (46), all of whom were members of Kwakta Lamhai Ward 8.
According to witnesses, the latest incident is a reason for significant alarm because the attackers were able to enter the buffer zone between hills and valleys protected by central security soldiers.
The area near Kwakta has been unpredictable in recent weeks, with reports of shootings between tribal and non-tribal groups. The state administration recently sent police and paramilitary workforce to the region to stop the violence from escalating.
Following the event, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA RK Imo stated that the party had filed a report to the Union Home Minister concerning the security breakdown despite the fact that security personnel were on duty in the Kwakta area at the time.
“Every force was on duty. How are three males able to be killed in this area by individuals from another district? There must be strict action against the force stationed there. How in the world could there be a security breach like that? A few forces are supporting the armed criminals. The message stated, “We have written this in the letter to the home minister.
In Manipur, a high alert has been in effect for the past four days. Additionally, curfew has been suspended in several locations. A significant stockpile of weapons, including 235 assault rifles, 21 submachine guns, 16 handguns, 19,000 rounds of ammunition, and 124 hand grenades, were stolen from an armory on Thursday, and a Manipur firearms employee died as a result of his injuries. The armory had been broken into twice in the previous three months.
Police officers were forced to shoot tear gas and gunshots into the air in Bishnupur on Thursday when women’s organizations attempted to cross the buffer zone.
The ITLF (Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum), an umbrella organization of various tribal groups, announced they would hold a mass funeral and bury the 35 bodies of those who died in the ethnic clashes at a location in S Boljang village close to the Churachandpur-Bishnupur border. This statement motivated the Union government to take action.
Following protest from Meitei organizations and on the high court’s instruction to maintain “status quo ante” at the burial site, a planned mass burial has been postponed for a week.
At least 150 people have perished and nearly 50,000 have been homeless in ethnic hostilities that have gripped the northeastern state since May 3. These conflicts mostly included the tribal Kukis, who live mostly in hill areas, and the majority Meiteis, who are the dominating community in Imphal valley.
Clashes occurred in Churachandpur town on May 3 when Kuki organizations called for protests against a proposed change to the state’s reservation matrix that would grant the Meitei community scheduled tribe (ST) status.
Violence immediately covered the state, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning houses and neighborhoods into jungles, frequently across state lines.