New Delhi: At least one person died and two others were injured when a mob attacked the Fifth Indian Reserve Battalion station located in Chingarel Tezpur in Manipur’s Imphal East district late on February 13. Reports coming from Imphal said the incident took place at around 10 pm. The mob is said to have looted a considerable number of arms and ammunitions from the station too.According to an India Today report, the deceased has been identified as Okram Sanaton, aged 24. Okram belonged to the Pangei Okram Leikei of Imphal East district. The report said he died of injuries during the attack, while two others who were wounded were hospitalised.Sources in local police said among arms looted by the mob were six AK-47 guns, four carbines, some .303 rifles and two light machine guns, besides a large cache of ammunition.The Chingarel Tezpur area has been witnessing bouts of mob violence since the ethnic conflict broke out in the north-eastern state in May last year. In June 2023, a godown owned by state minister L. Susindro was set on fire. So far, at least 180 people have lost lives in the ongoing ethnic strife between the Kuki and the Meitei communities of the state. Meiteis comprise over 50% of the state’s population and are in a majority in the valley districts including the Imphal East district where the mob attack took place this past February 13. Reports of arms looted by the mob came first from the valley districts, leading the N. Biren Singh government to urge people to return them. Provisions were made at various locations across Imphal to facilitate the return of the looted arms. However, only a fraction of it has been recovered by state police so far.