Imphal, Aug 9: Fresh violence was reported in Manipur's Tengnoupal district as clashes erupted between two groups on Friday.
Large clouds of smoke could be seen in the nearby areas as some houses were burned down in the clash.
According to reports, at least three Kuki-Zo village volunteers and one member of the United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) were killed in an alleged gunfight resulting from an internal dispute on Friday morning." However, it cannot be confirmed independently.
According to reliable sources, the incident occurred around 8 a.m. in two separate locations, Molnoi Pallel and Molnom, approximately 1.5 km apart in the Pallel area under the Tengnoupal district of Manipur.
In what appears to be a retaliatory act, members of the Village Volunteer Force (VVF) set ablaze the house of SS Haokip, the leader of the UKLF, in Pallel. Heavy smoke was seen billowing from the house as it was engulfed in flames. The area has been cordoned off by security forces at the time of filing this report.
Following the incident, Assam Rifles troops rushed to the area to control the situation.
However, the situation in the Pallel area is still tense.
Earlier, on August 3, shots were fired and an abandoned house was set on fire in Manipur's Jiribam, triggering fresh tensions within a day of the Meitei and Hmar agreement made to restore normalcy in the district.
An abandoned house in Lalpani village was torched by armed men on August 2. The armed men also fired several rounds of shells and gunshots, targeting the village.
Notably, representatives of the Meitei and Hmar communities reached an agreement in a meeting held at a CRPF facility in adjoining Assam's Cachar on August 1. The meeting was moderated by the Jiribam district administration, Assam Rifles, and CRPF personnel.
