Unidentified assailants killed a 45-year-old Kuki man in ethnic violence-hit Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, even as around six Kuki houses were set ablaze in Ukhrul and a shutdown was imposed to protest against the killing of three Meiteis in an ambush in Imphal East on Monday. The shutdown largely affected five Meitei-dominated districts in Imphal Valley.
It added that the arsonists fled and no casualties were reported. “The identity and number of perpetrators and the circumstances leading to the incident could not be ascertained. There were no deaths in the incident.
This was the first incident of conflict between Meiteis and Kukis after July 13, when armed Kuki groups attacked Meiteis in Bishnupur’s Torbung Bangla. In the last few months, at least 50 people have died in the state, mostly in Naga-Kuki clashes. Local bodies and village volunteers issued a warning asking people to refrain from moving in forested and isolated areas due to the suspected movement of armed men as police rushed to the spot for investigation.
In a statement, the Ukhrul police said the houses were burnt at Patleijang, a Kuki village. The motive behind the crime also remains unknown,” the statement said. Police said they registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section related to mischief by fire or explosive substances.
