Manipur

Imphal: One soldier of the Manipur Rifles and a village volunteer were injured in fresh violence that broke out in the Imphal West-Kangpokpi inter district border of Manipur on Thursday.

Tourangbam Rishikumar, 47, a rifleman of the 6 Manipur Rifles Battalion, sustained serious bullet injuries when he was engaged in a gun battle with armed miscreants at Koutruk village at around 5 am.

A bullet passed through his belly and he is now undergoing treatment at the Raj Medicity hospital in Imphal.

In the adjoining village of Senjam Chirang, one village volunteer was also injured on his left leg when unknown armed men opened fire at around 6 am. He is also receiving treatment at a nearby health center.

The fresh violence erupted a day after three abandoned houses in Langol Housing Complex caught fire. Upon receiving information, three fire tenders and one Bolero pump were pressed into action and put out the inferno around 9:30 am on Wednesday.

Officials have yet to ascertain the source of the fire.

The ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed over 150 lives since it erupted on May 3 between the Kuki and Meitei communities.

The violence has displaced thousands of people and caused widespread damage to property. The government has deployed additional security forces in the affected areas in an effort to restore peace.