The death toll in the ongoing violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities which has engulfed Manipur increased to 54, officials said even as unofficial sources placed the figure at several scores dead and more than 150 injured, PTI reported.
The four tribals shot dead by the Army in Churachandpur last night were among a group of Kukis who tried to stop a convoy of security forces vehicles evacuating Meiteis. The Kukis were agitated as their demands of evacuating people from their community trapped in Imphal had not been met.
Of the 54 officially declared dead, 16 bodies were kept in the morgue of the Churachandpur district hospital while 15 bodies were in Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal East district, according to PTI news agency.
The Regional Institute of Medical Sciences at Lamphel in Imphal West district reported 23 dead, the official said.
In another incident, a constable of the Central Reserve Police Force’s CoBRA unit, who was on leave at his home in Churachandpur district, was shot dead by armed assailants on Friday, PTI reported.
On Wednesday, violence broke out in the state when a large number of tribals joined a protest march organized by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur. The demonstration was held to resist the demand of the Meitei community, which forms the majority, to be classified as a Scheduled Tribe.
Meiteis account for about 53% of the population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals, who include Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40% of the population and live mostly in the hill districts which surround the Valley.
