The shutdown largely affected five Meitei-dominated districts in Imphal Valley. Unidentified assailants killed a 45-year-old Kuki man in ethnic violence-hit Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, even as around six Kuki houses were set ablaze in Ukhrul and a shutdown was imposed to protest against the killing of three Meiteis in an ambush in Imphal East on Monday.
No violence was reported on Tuesday morning in the bandh-hit areas, even as security forces were put on alert in Imphal. “The identity and number of perpetrators and the circumstances leading to the incident could not be ascertained. All the educational institutions were shut. Marketplaces wore a deserted look. Public transport services have been suspended.
Local bodies and village volunteers issued a warning asking people to refrain from moving in forested and isolated areas due to the suspected movement of armed men as police rushed to the spot for investigation.
The motive behind the crime also remains unknown,” the statement said. Police said they registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section related to mischief by fire or explosive substances.
There were no deaths in the incident. This was the first incident of conflict between Meiteis and Kukis after July 13, when armed Kuki groups attacked Meiteis in Bishnupur’s Torbung Bangla. In the last few months, at least 50 people have died in the state, mostly in Naga-Kuki clashes.
