Two injured in gunfight, 9 women injured in lathi-charge, army forces reporter to delete footage

Imphal: At least two Meitei village defender volunteer received bullet and splinter injury in a fresh gun fight that took place at Yaingangpokpi Sabungkhok Khunou area in Imphal East of Manipur, and around nine women injured when central security forces’s lathi charged on Thursday.

Kuki militants reportedly started firing some rounds towards the valley area at around 3 am on Thursday. Village volunteers who were guarding the village retaliated in which suspected Kuki militants aggravated their attack with bombs.

The firing had two gaps and continued till around 3 pm.

To protect the villagers from an alleged unbiased action of central security forces, women folks of the area proceeded along Imphal-Ukhrul road at Yaingangpokpi and Seijang Khundon.

A confrontation took place when the women folk tried to block the central security forces from chasing the villagers (male).

To control the mob, security forces triggered mock bombs and tear gas shells and lathi-charged the women folks, injuring nine of them.

Four of them were evacuated at Raj Medicity, here for treatment while remaining were given treatment at Sawombung sub health centre.

One woman who accompanied the injured at Raj Medicity said suspected Kuki militants have been firing to the nearby valley area from Sangra and Kounae hills while the state government claims that firing of guns have been controlled in both hills and valley.

Almost every night suspected Kuki militants fired some rounds to the valley. But the village volunteers never retaliated. “How long are we going to tolerate such attack from suspected Kuki militants? To prevent from frequent firing the village volunteer retaliated today, ” the woman said.

During the gunfight two village volunteers were injured. One volunteer who sustained splinter injury at right buttock and left leg was admitted at Raj Medicity and another volunteer who sustained bullet injury at his lower chin was admitted at Little Clinic, Imphal.

Both the hospital authorities reported that both the injured have been undergoing treatment and they are out of danger.

During the Sabungkhok troops of the Jat Regiment not only prevented a media team consisting of reporters from ISTV, Impact TV, Tom TV, and ISCom from covering the incident but forced them to delete whatever footage was there on their mobiles. Another team of media consisting of Tom TV and Impact TV on the other side of the area was also initially prevented from taking any footage of the incident.