Uneasy Calm in Manipur; Armed Men Open Fire on AR Team, One Injured

IMPHAL: A gang of unknown armed persons opened fire on the Assam Rifles Column during an area dominance exercise at around 11 am on Wednesday, leaving one personnel wounded. This comes after a curfew in the violently battered Manipur was loosened on Wednesday.

Initial reports state that Dolaithabi, in Manipur's Imphal East District, was the scene of the shooting event.

A member of the Assam Rifles suffered a gunshot wound, according to a source in the security forces, but he was safely transported to a hospital by helicopter.

At the aforementioned military facility, the wounded jawan is still receiving treatment. More information will be provided later.

Notably, the authorities on Wednesday ordered a six-hour curfew relaxation in 11 Manipur districts, including Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, and Jiribam, as no new violent occurrences were reported in the state.

Meanwhile, Mizoram Rajya Sabha member K Vanlalvena shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi , urging him to form a joint parliamentary team to probe the recent violence that rocked neighbouring Manipur.

In his letter to the PM Modi, Vanlalvena urged that the joint parliamentary team should include MPs from Christian minorities, and it should be formed for an independent investigation into the chain of events leading to the violent clashes between communities.

“I request that a joint parliamentary team be formed in which Christian MPs are also included and sent to the affected areas to carry out an independent investigation on the entire sequence of events so that the truth may be unearthed and justice is delivered,” Mizoram MP Vanlalvena said in his letter.

Even though the situation in Manipur is slowly limping back to normal, the strong possibility of a recurrence of such ethnic violence cannot be ruled out, an honest and sincere effort is made to delve into the sequence of events and the pattern of violence that followed, he wrote.

Meanwhile, with no fresh reports of violent clashes and untoward incidents in the past four days, the situation across the violence-hit neighbouring state is improving, officials said.

Curfew imposed in all the 11 districts has also been relaxed, they said.

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