Three shot dead in fresh attack, curfew reimposed in five valley districts

Imphal: Manipur’s volatile Thoubal district witnessed another grim turn on Monday evening when gunmen ambushed locals, leaving three dead and five injured. This fresh outbreak of violence has reignited tensions across the state, prompting authorities to reimpose curfew in five key valley districts.

Unidentified assailants, clad in camouflage attire, arrived in Lilong Chingjao area and opened fire on unsuspecting residents. The sudden attack claimed the lives of three individuals instantly, while five others sustained injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital. Adding to the chaos, enraged locals retaliated by setting three four-wheelers ablaze - the owners of these vehicles remain unconfirmed.

The brutal incident triggered immediate security measures, with curfews reinstated in Thoubal, Imphal East and Imphal West, Kakching, and Bishnupur districts. In a bid to quell the mounting anger, Chief Minister N Biren Singh addressed the public through a video message, condemning the violence and urging for peace, particularly in the affected Lilong region.

“Police are working to arrest those behind the attack. They will be arrested soon and punished as per the law,” he said.

This latest tragedy marks a brutal escalation in the ongoing ethnic conflict that has gripped Manipur since May 3. The spark for this unrest was a “Tribal Solidarity March” organised in the state’s hill districts, a protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

The complex geopolitical landscape of Manipur sees the Meitei community, constituting roughly 53 per cent of the population, concentrated in the Imphal Valley. In contrast, the hill districts are home to the Naga and Kuki tribal groups, comprising over 40 per cent of the state’s inhabitants. This historical and demographic context fuels the underlying tensions that erupt into sporadic violence.

The recent attack in Thoubal has pushed the death toll in the ongoing conflict past 180, with hundreds more injured.