Manipur: Protester Killed, Another Injured in Police Firing in Jiribam

A protester was killed and another injured in an alleged police firing on Sunday night in Jiribam, a region already affected by ethnic violence in Manipur. 

According to reports, the incident occurred at around 11 pm yesterday when security forces resorted to firing to disperse an irate mob that had vandalized public properties and political party offices in Jiribam.

“A protester was killed in firing during a clash between security forces and a mob that was vandalising properties in Manipur’s Jiribam district,” police said on Monday.

Sources familiar with the incident identified the deceased as 20-year-old Khundrakpam Athouba and the injured as 26-year-old K Bishan.

Meanwhile, in response to the escalating unrest, the state government ordered the closure of educational institutions and extended the curfew for two additional days, until Tuesday.

Notably, protests in Jiribam erupted following the discovery of three bodies of abducted Meitei individuals from the Barak River recently. Thousands of Meitei residents, including men and women, took to the streets holding candles, demanding the release of the remaining three captives.

The bodies, which include two children and a woman, were found floating in the river in the Gilgal area on the Assam-Manipur border. It is suspected that the kidnappers killed and discarded the bodies in the river. 

The abduction has sparked outrage among the Meitei community, with allegations that Kuki militants were responsible for the kidnapping.