Manipur firing incident: Lilong Chingjao tense as death toll rises to 4

The situation in Manipur's Lilong Chingjao area is now calm after four villagers were gunned down by unidentified assailants on January 1

The situation in minority-dominated Lilong Chingjao area in Manipur's Thoubal district, where four villagers were gunned down by unidentified assailants, remained calm but tense on January 2, 2023 as additional security forces were deployed, an official said.

The death toll increased to four after one more person succumbed to injuries, while two other critically injured persons were undergoing treatment at the ICU of an Imphal-based hospital, he said.

Unidentified gunmen in camouflage uniforms tried to "extort money" from a person on Monday night in Lilong Chingjao, leading to an altercation. The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire leading to the casualties when the locals chased them away, he said.

"After the incident, tension was high on Monday night but holding of an inter-faith meeting by civil society leaders and Lilong MLA Abdul Nasir and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's assurance that the culprits will be arrested and punished as per the law defused the situation," the official said.

Additional security forces have been deployed in the area and vehicular patrolling has been increased to prevent any untoward incident, he said.

Meanwhile, with curfew being imposed in five districts of Imphal Valley in view of the "prevailing law and order situation", few vehicles were seen plying roads as most commercial establishments remained closed.

The deceased, whose bodies were brought to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal for post-mortem examination, were identified as Md Daulat (30), M Sirajuddin (50), Md Azad Khan (40) and Md Hussain (22), the official said.