One dead as renewed unrest erupts in India’s Manipur state

By Tora Agarwala

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – At least one person died in the past 24 hours during a third straight day of ethnic unrest in the troubled eastern Indian border state of Manipur, a government official said on Monday.

The state of 3.2 million people, which borders Myanmar, has been hit by a fresh spate of violence over the last week, part of long-standing strife between its ethnic Kuki and Meitei communities. The bloodshed has killed at least 250 people and displaced 60,000 people in the region since May last year.

Late on Sunday night, Meitei residents in the Jiribam district took to the streets, vandalising properties in response to recent killings of women and children from its community, a state government official said.

“Some protesters were trying to vandalise properties, including the offices of (national) political parties BJP and Congress,” said the official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, adding that one protester had “died in a police action”.

Tensions flared anew last week when a 31-year-old Kuki woman was burned alive. Kuki groups blamed Meitei militants.

An indefinite curfew was imposed on Saturday and internet and mobile services have been suspended until at least Nov. 20 after protesters tried to storm the residences of several lawmakers including Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh.

Kukis accuse Singh, a Meitei and member of India’s ruling BJP, of complicity in the violence against them and have sought his removal. Singh denies the accusations.

(Reporting by Tora Agarwala in Guwahati; writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; editing by Mark Heinrich)