Teen shot dead in Manipur

Imphal, July 7

A teenager was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Manipur’s Bishnupur district in the wee hours of Friday, police said.

According to officials, gunmen fired indiscriminately at Phoubakchao locality during which the teenager, who was hurrying to take cover, was hit by a bullet.

Meanwhile, irate locals mostly womenfolk hit the streets in Moirang to vent out their anger against the firing.

Officials said the firing between two groups of armed men was first reported in Awang Leikei and Kangwai in Churandpur district near Phoubakchao around 1.30am.

After a few hours of lull, intermittent firing started again from 11.30am, officials said, adding senior police officials have gone to Kangwai to take stock of the situation.

More than 100 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Around 40,000 central security personnel, besides the Manipur Police, have been deployed to control the violence and bring back normalcy in the state.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley.

Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.