New Delhi: As the world’s eyes are focused on New Delhi where the G20 summit is to begin tomorrow, the state of Manipur continues to remain gripped by unending violence even after four months. On September 8, two more lives were lost and over 90 persons sustained injuries after heavy gunfight unfolded between state security forces and armed militants at Molnoi Village in the Tengnoupal district. Death toll could rise further as 20 of those injured suffered from gunshot wounds, reports India Today NE.Citing sources in one of the central security forces, Deccan Herald reports that the firing started at around 6 am at Molnoi near Pallel in Kuki-dominated Tengnoupal district when “armed miscreants” from Meitei-dominated Valley entered the area and tried to attack a Kuki village using sophisticated weaponry. The “armed miscreants” started firing as the central security forces stopped a mob of Meitei women, locally known as Meira Paibis (women vigilante group), who blocked a road to prevent entry of the security forces to the area.A significant number of men and women confronted Assam Rifles forces in an attempt to enter the Pallel area where the firefight was ongoing. To manage the situation, the Assam Rifles reportedly resorted to firing tear gas shells, reports India Today NE.One Assam Rifles personnel was among those injured. The injured, including women, were rushed to hospitals. One of them succumbed to his bullet injuries, reports Deccan Herald. Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a Kuki organisation, said that the Kuki villagers took refuge in a BSF camp while the “village volunteers” tried to defend their village against the Meitei “armed miscreants.” The “village volunteers” are village youths engaged in “defending” their villages with licensed weapons, which are normally used in hunting, they claimed. In a press statement, the ITLF has reportedly said that in the latest assault, gunmen dressed in police commando uniforms attacked Pallel. “As we’ve seen in the past, Meira Paibis blocked security reinforcements from reaching the area, showing again that they are at the vanguard of the violence.”, the statement alleges. The firing comes two days after several persons were injured in stampede after security forces fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse a mob of Meiteis who gathered along the boundary between Meitei-dominated Bishnupur and Kuki-dominated Churachandpur districts. The mob tried to evict a barricade put up by the Assam Rifles and push it towards Churachandpur as they wanted to resettle some Meitei villagers in Torbung and Kwakta, from where they fled after the violence started. The security forces, however, stopped them saying the same could further escalate the violence.