Four killed in fresh Manipur gunfight as Meitei women groups prevent security from reaching the area

Heavy exchange of fire continued between two groups in the areas bordering the Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts of Manipur for the third consecutive day. Two people, injured by splinters a day ago, died on Thursday. The Indigeneous Tribal Leaders Forum, a Kuki-Zo body, called for an emergency shutdown in Churachandpur.

As a heavy exchange of fire continued between two groups in the areas bordering the Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts of Manipur for the third consecutive day, two people who had been injured by splinters a day ago died on Thursday, police said.

A defence source said that women-led groups in Meitei-dominated Bishnupur have been stopping additional security forces from reaching the areas where the two groups have engaged in an intense gunfight since the early hours of August 29.

The deceased were identified as music composer L.S. Mangboi, 42, and Richard Hemkholun, 31, both residents of Churachandpur.

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Kuki groups said that their villages have been pounded by mortar shells from the valley, leading to the deaths and injuries of several village guards. The Indigeneous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a Kuki-Zo body, called for an emergency shutdown in Churachandpur, stating that the Khousabung, Kangvai and Sugnu areas are under attack.

Mr. Mangboi, one of the victims, had composed a song for the Kuki-Zomi people’s movement, titled I Gam hilou ham (is this not our land?”), to galvanise the tribal community after ethnic violence erupted in the State on May 3. While guarding the village on Wednesday, his head was hit by a splinter; he was being rushed to Aizawl in neighbouring State of Mizoram for medical treatment when he succumbed to his injuries, a local resident said. Earlier, fearing for their safety after the violence broke out, his family had sent their two daughters to Aizawl for their studies.

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