Man killed, army officer injured in Manipur shootouts

 Intermittent gunfights had been reported at Pukhao and surrounding hill areas since Sunday night.

PTI, IMPHAL, 14 February 2024 : A 25-year-old village volunteer was killed and two others were injured in a gunfight between two warring communities in Manipur's Imphal East district on Tuesday, police said.

An army officer also suffered gunshot injuries in a separate incident in Imphal East district, the police said.

The shootout in which the village volunteer was killed took place at Pukhao Shantipur in Kangpokpi district, a senior officer said.

He was taken to a private hospital in Imphal where he succumbed to his injuries, the officer said.

Intermittent gunfights had been reported at Pukhao and surrounding hill areas since Sunday night.

The army officer was injured in the right calf when he, along with other security personnel, was going to control a situation as firing by miscreants was reported at various places in Imphal East district, the police said.

"The Junior Commissioned Officer has been evacuated by helicopter to the Military Hospital in Leimakhong Military Station and his condition is reported to be stable," the police said.

More than 180 people were killed in Manipur since the ethnic violence erupted on May 3 last year after a Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts.