Three killed in suspected militant attack in Manipur

Three people were killed and at least three others injured in a suspected militant attack on a group collecting firewood in Manipur on Monday, triggering protests in which residents brought the bodies of two victims to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s residence in Imphal.

The attack, according to The Indian Express took place at around 9.40 am in the Khongbal Sunurok-Nongshum area along the boundary of Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts, when a group of people had gone into the hills to collect firewood, officials said.

The deceased were identified as Arubam Ronil, 35, and Lairenlakpam Inaobi, 51, who died at the spot, and Kshetrimayum Sushil, 32, who later succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital. Three injured people were undergoing treatment, while three others were reported missing.

Angry residents brought the bodies of two victims to the main gate of the chief minister’s residence in Babupara, demanding action over the killings. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters, after which the bodies were taken to the mortuary at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences

Chief Minister Singh later visited Raj Medicity hospital in Imphal to meet the injured and their families. Security was tightened around his residence following the protest.

The latest attack has sparked fresh anger over continuing violence in Manipur, where ethnic conflict that erupted in May 2023 has claimed numerous lives and displaced thousands of people.