Guwahati: The ongoing ethnic clashes in trouble-torn Manipur took an ugly turn on Wednesday when at least 11 villagers were massacred in a late night attack of armed rebels at Khamenlok village in Imphal East district.
Confirming the death of 11 villagers in a gruesome attack, police said that seven critically injured persons have been shifted to government and private hospitals. Informing that many injured have been kept in the ICU, police feared that the death toll may increase.
Several of those injured have been rushed to Imphal for treatment. Some of those killed in the violence have cut marks on their bodies and multiple bullet injuries, security sources said.
According to the Superintendent of Police, Imphal East, the incident took place at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday. While Aigijang falls under the Kangpokpi revenue district, it comes under the jurisdiction of Imphal East, on the border of these two districts.
Police said that the militants hurled several bombs at Khamenlok late on Tuesday night killing and injuring several villagers. The unhurt villagers rushed out of their houses to flee to safe areas. However the waiting armed militants opened fire on the escaping villagers.
While Aigijang is a Kuki village, 11 bodies which were recovered were of Meitei men who were not residents of the village. According to police, they were “local volunteers”.
It is significant that Khamenlok has been one of the main battlegrounds for the Kuki tribal militants and the non-tribal Meiteis. In the past few days several persons were killed and wounded in clashes with the militant groups who are armed with many sophisticated weapons in the area.
Security sources also pointed out that there has been a massive influx of Meitei men from nearby areas to “defend” the Meitei-dominated parts of the border area.
The incident has also been seen as a major setback amid efforts to restore peace in the state, which has been tense for over a month now due to ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
In view of the incident, the District Magistrates in Imphal East and Imphal West have shortened the curfew. In view of the “improved law and order situation” the curfew hours were relaxed in these two districts from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday. However women protested firing of rubber bullets and tear gas canisters in the Imphal areas.
Meanwhile, reacting to the massacre of innocent villagers, the Congress leader, Okram Ibobi, said that during election time the BJP bigshots rushed to Manipur almost every second day. “Today no such leader is seen here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not spoken a word on these killings which had started from May 3.
