Following a slew of violent incidents that have rocked the state since May 2023, Manipur saw new acts of violence. In the Tengnoupal area of Manipur, two militant factions engaged in gunfire that resulted in the deaths of thirteen persons, according to media sources citing officials. According to PTI, the event happened on Monday afternoon in Leithu village.
“Another group of insurgents dominant in the area ambushed a group of militants on their way to Myanmar,” a hill district officer told PTI. When security personnel arrived at the scene, he reported that they had discovered 13 dead so far. Although the names of the deceased were unknown, they didn’t seem to be locals.
The police stated that it seems the deceased were not from the Leithu region and may have come from another location after which they got into a battle with another gang. Notably, Tengnoupal district and Myanmar have a porous border. The Manipur government has brought up the problem of antisocial characters in border districts with Myanmar on several occasions.
Manipur Has Restored Mobile Internet
According to a statement, the Manipur government on Sunday brought back mobile internet connectivity throughout the state, with the exception of a few regions, till December 18. “Considering the improvement in law and order and inconveniences faced by people due to the mobile internet ban, the state government has decided to relax the suspension,” the announcement stated.
There will still be a halt to operations for mobile towers that provide services within a 2-kilometer radius along the boundaries between districts like Chandel and Kakching, Churachandpur and Bishnupur, Churachandpur and Kakching, Kangpokpi and Imphal West, Kangpokpi and Imphal East, Kangpokpi and Thoubal, and Tengnoupal and Kakching. Following the commencement of unrest in the state on May 3, mobile internet service had been halted.
The Kuki Zo Community Requests Independent Management
Members of the Kuki Zo group staged public demonstrations last week in a number of Manipur regions, calling for a separate administration. They asked the Centre to expedite the process of forming an independent government in regions of the state where the Kuki Zo group predominates. Through the deputy commissioner, the protestors gave Union Home Minister Amit Shah a note.
Zo United said that the state administration, including the police, was siding with the Meiteis and that people in the valley community were receiving government-issued weapons to use against the tribal people. Since May 3 of this year, there has been a violent conflict between the Meiteis, who live in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki Zo group, who live in the hills, in Manipur, resulting in over 180 deaths and thousands of homeless people.
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