Meitei militants set on fire Kuki-owned shops in Manipur: tribal rights group

Imphal: A tribal rights group in Manipur alleged that Meitei militants set on fire shops belonging to members of the Hmar-Kuki-Zomi tribal community causing fresh tensions in Jiribam district on Thursday, Scroll reported.

The Indigenous Tribes Advocacy Committee alleged that the Meitei armed group Arambai Tenggol was behind setting the shops ablaze.

“ITAC demands from the authorities who are in charge of law and order to immediately arrest the perpetrators and punish them appropriately as per law,” the group reportedly said, as well as seeking the round-the-clock security arrangements in Jiribam.

The fresh bouts of violence began on June 6 after the body of a Meitei man was found in the Mulargaon area.

Issuing prohibitory orders in the wake of violence, authorities banned assembly of five or more people.

Meanwhile, it is reported that violent mob setting a couple of abandoned Kuki home on fire.

Alongside, a mob gathered around the Jiribam police station demanding to release licensed guns temporarily taken away ahead of Lok Sabah polls, according to the report.

Jiribam district with a mixed population of Meiteis and tribal communities was peaceful when the state was earlier gripped by the worst ethnic conflict in years.

At least 225 people were killed and 60,000 people displaced after violence started between Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023.