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New Delhi/Imphal: Another bout of violence erupted in Manipur killing at least five people including a policeman hours before Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to the state.
The state continues to be volatile since two tribal communities vented their fury weeks before across the state that claimed 80 lives.
Fresh violence stemmed after reports of alleged terrorists, armed with deadly weapons, setting fire to houses in Serou and Sugunnu area.
Meanwhile, giving a new dimension to the ethnic violence, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday claimed that ‘40 terrorists’ were shot dead over the last couple of days.
‘The terrorists have been using M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles and sniper guns against civilians. They came to many villages to burn down homes. We have started taking very strong action against them with the help of the army and other security forces. We have got reports some 40 terrorists have been shot dead,’ Singh was quoted as saying.
Singh also added that attacks on civilians outside Imphal valley in the last two days are ‘well-planned’.
Meanwhile, Amit Shah, who had previously held talks with both the Meiteis and the Kukis, appealed to the parties to the conflict to stay calm and help bring normalcy.
Army chief General Manoj Pande reviewed the situation in the state during a visit on Saturday.
Violence ripped through most of Manipur last month after the tribal outfit of Kukis protested against Meitei community’s demand to be included in the Scheduled Tribes category.
Kukis feared that the reservation benefit would allow Meitei access to forest lands.
The government imposed curfew and internet outage which however had a flimsy impact on the violence.