Kamjong: At least four people, including three suspected Kuki National Army (Burma) [KNA (B)] cadres and a woman civilian, were killed, while three others were injured in fresh violence in Manipur’s Kamjong district, police sources said.
According to police sources, gunfire was first reported at around 9 pm on Friday in the Chassad area of Kamjong district.
Sources said Kuki women from Chassad staged a protest against the detention of a group of youths by personnel of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) deployed in Kamjong. A scuffle between security personnel and protesters reportedly led to firing, leaving a woman protester injured. The woman, identified as Domkhonei Touthang, later succumbed to her injuries.
Meanwhile, three suspected KNA (B) cadres were reportedly killed in a gunfight in Chassad early on Saturday morning, while three others were injured. The injured were taken to Kamjong District Hospital for treatment.
Strongly condemning the woman’s killing, the Kuki Human Rights Forum (KHRF) demanded a time-bound judicial inquiry and the arrest of the IRB personnel involved. The forum also called for the immediate release of the detained youths and the deployment of neutral central forces in Kuki areas.
More than 10 houses belonging to Kuki and Tangkhul families were reportedly burnt down during the violence. Intense firing was continuing at the time of filing this report.
The situation in Kamjong remained tense amid reports of a gun attack on Ningchou, a Tangkhul Naga village near the India-Myanmar border, allegedly by suspected KNA (B) cadres.
No official statement had been issued by the state police or central security agencies at the time of filing this report.
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