Manipur on edge as 13 bodies found after gunfight in village

THE VIOLENCE WAS REPORTED FROM AN AREA THAT HAS BEEN RELATIVELY PEACEFUL SINCE TENSION FIRST ERUPTED IN THE STATE ON MAY 3

- Prawesh Lama

At least 13 people were killed in a fresh incident of violence in Manipur on Monday afternoon the highest single-day toll reported in the state in six months, and one that punctured the tenuous peace in the strife-torn region once again.

Security forces received inputs around noon that a gunfight had broken out between two groups at Leithao village near Saibol in the state's Tengnoupal district. This is an area that was relatively peaceful since tension first erupted in the state on May 3, and the nearest security post is around 10km away in Saibol.

"Once our forces moved in and reached the place, they found 13 bodies in the Leithao village. The forces did not find any weapons next to the bodies," a defence officer aware of the matter said, asking not to be named.