Following a recent peace agreement with the government, villagers in Sugnu, Manipur’s Kakching district, burned ablaze an abandoned camp where militants from the United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) sought refuge, police authorities reported on Monday.
The locals attacked the militants after they destroyed over 100 abandoned homes in Serou, Kakching district, including the home of Sugnu Congress MLA K Ranjit, on Saturday night.
The police claim that for about 48 hours, there was a continuous firefight between the security forces and the insurgents.
In a coordinated operation combining state police, the India Reserve Battalion, Border Security Force, and local volunteers, the militants were engaged in a gunfight at the Nazareth camp on Sunday before the arson attack on Saturday night.
The extremists then abandoned their camp, which prompted the locals to set it on fire on Sunday night. Additionally, the camp functioned as a location for Kuki militants who had just been hired to train.
As a sawmill was being attacked and set on fire by Kuki insurgents, Phayeng in the Imphal West area saw a shootout. Separately, the police have established that on Sunday, a number of houses were set on fire in Langol, Imphal West district, by unknown individuals.
There have been 98 deaths and 310 injuries as a result of the latest ethnic unrest in Manipur, which started a month ago. In 272 relief camps, 37,450 individuals are currently looking for safety.
After a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was arranged in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s desire for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation, the violence first broke out. The Meiteis, who make up about 53% of Manipur’s population, are concentrated in the Imphal Valley, while the Nagas and Kukis, who make up 40% of the state’s population, live in the hill regions.
A total of 10,000 Army and Assam Rifles men have been stationed around the state to restore peace.
Post Your Comments