Fresh gunfights, arson in Manipur amid Shutdown

Gunfights, arson, and a shutdown rocked Manipur on Wednesday as it continued to grapple with a fresh wave of unrest, which has prompted the Union government to increase the deployment of central forces in the strife-torn state.

- Thomas Ngangom

In the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district, suspected militants opened fire on a group of farmers in the Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou Maning village, leading to a gunfight with the personnel of the 9th Indian Reserved Battalion (IRB).

"I was threshing paddy, and some of my colleagues were harvesting. I suddenly heard gunshots, and when I looked up, other farmers were running. However, some remained stuck in the field. They were later rescued after the IRB personnel retaliated," Nongmaithem Romeo, a farmer who was working in the field, said.

Police officers familiar with the matter said the gunfight lasted for 15 minutes, after which the personnel evacuated around 20 farmers. "We never expected such an incident here in the paddy field. The government needs to protect us," Romeo said.

Wednesday's gunfight broke out days after a 34-year-old woman was killed in the district after suspected Kuki militants fired at a group of farmers, who were working in a paddy field close to the foothills of adjoining Churachandpur district.

The fresh wave of violence began after an attack on a tribal village in Jiribam district of Manipur last week.