Fresh violence hits Manipur

Imphal: Shots were fired and an abandoned house was torched in Manipur's Jiribam, triggering fresh tensions within a day of the Meitei and Hmar communities reaching an agreement to make efforts to restore normalcy in the district, officials said on Saturday. An abandoned house in Lalpani village was torched by armed men on Friday night, they said.

"It is an isolated settlement consisting of few Meitei houses, and most of those were abandoned after violence broke out in the district. Miscreants, who are yet to be identified, took advantage of security lapses in the area to commit the arson," an official said. The armed men also fired several rounds of shells and gunshots, targeting the village, he said. Security forces were rushed to the area following the incident, he added. Representatives of the Meitei and Hmar communities reached an agreement during a meeting held at a CRPF facility in adjoining Assam's Cachar on Thursday.

The meeting was moderated by Jiribam district administration, Assam Rifles and CRPF personnel. Representatives of the Thadou, Paite and Mizo communities of the district were also present in the meeting."The meeting resolved that both sides will make full efforts to bring normalcy and prevent incidents of arson and firing. Both sides shall give full cooperation to all the security forces operating in the Jiribam district. Both sides agreed to facilitate controlled and coordinated movement," a joint statement issued and signed by representatives of all the participating communities said. The next meeting will be held on August 15. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year. Ethnically-diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by ethnic clashes in Imphal Valley and adjoining hills, erupted in violence after a mutilated body of a farmer was found in the fields in June this year.

Thousands had to leave their homes and relocate to relief camps due to incidents of arson by both sides. A CRPF jawan was also killed in an ambush by militants in mid-July.