Imphal: Manipur witnessed fresh violence on Monday as gunfight between suspected tribal militants and civilians was reported at Nungshum Village in Imphal East District and other areas in the hill-valley borders at around 11 am.
Over 8 valley civilians sustained injuries and one suspected tribal militant was killed in the firing incident. Some of the injured civilians who had sustained bullet injuries were rushed to Raj Medicity this afternoon. One of them was said to be in a critical condition.
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Reportedly, earlier in the day, the villagers sighted a drone and made an unsuccessful attempt to shoot down using their licensed guns. Manipur police commandos later rushed to the site to contain the situation.
In another report by Newmai News Network, one of the gunfights was reported at Khamenlok, a place located at the border between Imphal East and Kangpokpi, at least four persons sustained bullet injuries, reports said.
The gunfight reportedly erupted after youths of Nongshum village protecting their village with arms retaliated when a group of suspected militants came down from the hill sides and opened fire toward the village today, around 9 am.
On receiving the news a combined team of state police commandos and paramilitary forces rushed to the spot and engaged in the gunfight with the suspected militants.
Reinforcement teams of Gorkha Regiment that rushed to the site faced resistances from the womenfolk of Keibi and Taret Khun villages who blocked the road. In their bid to disperse the crowd, the security forces opened fire with some rounds of guns in the air. On hearing the news of the gunfight, a large number of womenfolk of Khurai area of Imphal East came out of the street along the main roads and blocked the roads to disrupt the movement of central security forces.
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