New Delhi: One more person in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district succumbed to injuries on Saturday, taking the total death count to 3, after fresh violence broke out in Pallel on Friday (September 8). The 37-year-old man died while receiving treatment at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, officials told PTI. He sustained a bullet wound on his head during crossfire between security forces and armed groups. Earlier, two people were killed and 50 injured when hundreds of people from the Meitei community attempted to storm Kuki villages, the report said.The situation worsened when a gunfight ensued between the security forces and armed persons at Molnoi village near Pallel. As the news of the gunfight spread, large groups of Meitei community members gathered to march towards Pallel. The group also included Meira Paibis and Arambai Tenggol militiamen dressed in commando uniforms. They reportedly gathered near the gunfight locations and attempted to break through security check posts. “We’ve heard that six Meiteis dressed in military outfits have been killed. There was a peace agreement between Kukis and Meiteis in Pallel, but it was broken by the Meiteis after gunfire,” Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) said.Security forces were trying to prevent the mob from escalating the violence when the armed groups began open firing on them resulting in gunshot injuries to an Army major who was evacuated to the military hospital in Leimakhong. Three other police personnel were also injured in the incident.
