NEW DELHI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing ethnic violence in India's northeastern state of Manipur has left five people dead in two separate incidents in the state's Kangpokpi and Noney districts, officials said Monday.
On Sunday, clashes erupted in Kangpokpi following the recovery of the bodies of two Kuki men who went missing from Taphou Kuki village on Oct. 28. Government forces resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charges to disperse the agitated crowd. Several protesters were reportedly injured in the confrontation.
On Saturday, in a separate incident, three Kuki men were killed in a reported exchange of gunfire between two armed groups at Kekru Naga village in Noney.
Police said an extensive search and combing operation was underway to trace the people responsible for the killings.
A top Kuki tribal body blamed Naga outfits for the killings.
Manipur has been on edge since May 3, 2023, when large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meitei community for a scheduled tribe status -- designated for disadvantaged socio-economic groups, which gives them reservations in education and government jobs.
In the wake of the violence, India's federal government imposed direct rule in the state in February last year, which lasted almost a year. It was revoked in February this year.
As per the local government of Manipur, at least 306 people have been killed, and 49 others reported missing in the ethnic violence that broke out in the state in May 2023. ■
