Miscreants Arranging Police Uniforms To Fuel Fresh Violence In Manipur: Report

As relentless ethnic violence grips Manipur, India's central intelligence agencies have informed the state police that miscreants are arranging for police commando uniforms, and could use them to fuel violence through a coordinated attack in the northeastern state.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the intelligence bureau (IB) has said that it was reliably learnt that a tailor in Bishnupur district's Moirang town was contracted to stitch 500 Manipur Police commando uniforms by June 15.

"The miscreants were likely to carry out attacks on June 17 and 18 by posing as commandos across different areas in least three districts of Churachandpur, Imphal East, and Imphal West in Manipur," according to the intelligence inputs.

Two civilians were injured as mobs clashed with security forces overnight in Imphal town and attempts were made to torch the houses of BJP leaders, officials said on Saturday.

In separate incidents, automatic gunfire was reported from Kwakta in Bishnupur district of Manipur and Kangvai in Churachandpur district through the night.

An attempt was also made to loot of Iringbam police station in Imphal West. However, no weapons were stolen.

At least nine people were killed and 10 injured when suspected miscreants attacked a village in the Khamenlok area of Manipur in the early hours of Wednesday.

More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki community people in the state that broke out a month ago.

The government has imposed a curfew on 11 districts and banned the internet in a bid to stop the spread of rumours in the state.

Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals - Nagas and Kukis - constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.