Manipur | Pakistan

Gun battles between rival ethnic groups in India’s troubled northeastern Manipur state killed three men, police said, the latest unrest in the far-flung region. Manipur has seen periodic clashes for nearly three years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community in which more than 250 people have been killed. “In a heavy exchange of fire… three individuals sustained fatal bullet injuries,” Manipur police said in a statement late on Friday. The clashes took place at Mullam village in Ukhrul district, and police did not specify which community the men came from. “Security measures have been enhanced in the area to prevent further escalation of violence,” police said. “Operations are still underway.” Longstanding enmity between the Meitei and Kuki communities revolves around competition for land and public jobs. Rights activists have accused local leaders of exacerbating ethnic divisions for political gain. Unrest erupted in 2023, when around 60,000 people were forced t...

An Indian state riven by ethnic tensions imposed an internet shutdown and curfew after protesters clashed with security forces over the arrest of some members of a radical group, police said on Sunday. Manipur in India’s northeast has been rocked by periodic clashes for more than two years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community that have killed more than 250 people. The latest violence was triggered on Saturday after reports of the arrest of five members, including a commander, of Arambai Tenggol, a radical Meitei group. Incensed mobs demanding their release stormed a police post, set fire to a bus and blocked roads in parts of the state capital Imphal. Manipur police announced a curfew in five districts, including Imphal West and Bishnupur, due to the “developing law and order situation”. “Prohibitory orders have been issued by District Magistrates. Citizens are requested to cooperate with the orders,” the police said in a statement. Arambai Tenggol, which is ...