Unidentified gunmen fire in Manipur’s Kangpokpi

Imphal: Unidentified gunmen fired “without provocation” at Haraothel village in Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Thursday morning, sources said.

Security forces returned the fire and the shootout has now stopped, they said.

“Unprovoked firing by gunmen Haraothel village commenced at around 5.45 am. Assam Rifles troops retaliated and the firing stopped. Operations are underway,” a source in the security forces said.

More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far.

Clashes first broke out on May 3 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. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.