One person was killed and three others injured in a gunfight between village volunteers of two warring communities in ethnic strife-torn Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Sunday, reports PTI, citing police.
The clash took place when gunmen attacked Koutruk village in Imphal West district from elevated hilltops in Kangpokpi district, prompting retaliatory action from village volunteers. The exchange of fire spread to neighbouring villages of Kadangband and Senjam Chirang.
Koutruk village has been a hotspot for violent confrontations between village volunteers of the two communities since ethnic violence erupted on May 3 last year. This incident adds to the ongoing ethnic strife between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hills-based Kukis, which has claimed over 200 lives and displaced thousands since its onset.
In response to the killing, the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) in Kangpokpi district has called for a 12-hour shutdown beginning at noon on April 28.