Guwahati: A woman was shot dead outside a school in Manipur’s Imphal West district by unidentified assailants, the police said on Thursday, amid ongoing ethnic clashes in the state that have been raging for over two months.
The incident has sparked panic in the area, where schools reopened a day ago. The woman has not been identified yet, the police said.
The incident came a day after security forces disrupted a confrontation in the Kangpokpi district between two armed groups from the Mapao and Awang Sekmai regions, news agency PTI reported.
In a separate incident, the house of an Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel was set ablaze by a mob in the Thoubal district, following his successful efforts in preventing rioters from looting firearms from a police armoury.
The IRB personnel, part of a unit safeguarding the armoury, became a target after he halted a riotous crowd from storming the 3rd IRB camp at Wangbal.
The deadly confrontation led to the death of a 27-year-old man, Ronaldo, who was critically injured and later died en route to a hospital in Imphal.
An additional 10 people suffered injuries during the clash, with six in serious condition receiving treatment at a hospital in Imphal.
In light of these incidents, the Manipur government has announced a further five-day extension of the suspension of internet services across the state until July 10th.
The internet ban, first imposed on May 3, was enforced in an attempt to prevent the proliferation of hate speech, inflammatory images, and video messages that could potentially incite further unrest.
The ongoing turmoil in Manipur initially erupted after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised to contest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Since then, the conflict has claimed over 100 lives, injured hundreds more, and displaced thousands into relief camps.
Bureau Report
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