Five people were killed in fresh violence in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday (September 7), police said, as clashes between two ethnic communities continued.

A man was shot dead in his sleep by militants who broke into his home in an isolated area, about 5 km from the district headquarters, a police officer said.

Following the killing, an exchange of gunfire erupted between armed groups from both communities in nearby hills, resulting in four more deaths. Three of those killed were militants from the hills-based group, the officer added.

Jiribam, located in the westernmost part of the state, close to the Assam border, had been spared from initial violence. However, it saw unrest in June 2024 after the killing of a 59-year-old man prompted mass displacement and the establishment of relief camps.

Spate of attacks, killings in Manipur

Earlier in the week, arsonists believed to be “village volunteers” set fire to the abandoned home of a retired police officer in Jakuradhor, police said. A tribal group, the Indigenous Tribes Advocacy Committee, denied involvement in the incident.

Following that, on Friday (September 6), at least one person was killed and five were injured after militants fired two rockets in Bishnupur district. That same day, another bomb attack in the same district had left several people injured.

Continuing ethnic clashes

The latest flare-up comes despite an agreement between representatives of the Meitei and Hmar communities on August 1 to restore peace.

The deal, reached at a meeting moderated by officials from the Jiribam district administration, Assam Rifles, and Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF), included a pledge to halt violence. However, some Hmar groups later rejected the agreement, saying they had not been consulted.

More than 200 people have been killed, and thousands displaced, in ethnic violence between the valley-based Meitei and hills-based Kuki-Zo communities since May last year.

With inputs from PTI

Link to article – 

Man shot in sleep, 4 more killed in gunfire in Manipur’s Jiribam amid continuing ethnic conflict