Three killed, four injured in violence in eastern Indian border state

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GUWAHATI, Oct 19 - At least three people were killed, and four more injured, as more violence broke out between two warring ethnic communities in India’s restive state of Manipur on Monday, senior police officials and government sources said.

•  The victims belonged to the state’s mostly Hindu Meitei community, which has been involved in sporadic fighting since  May 2023 with the predominantly Christian Kuki community in the state over economic benefits and job quotas.

•  In the last few months, fighting between the two communities has calmed down. The last reported death in violence between the two communities was in January.

•  Unidentified armed militants opened fire on 14 Meitei villagers who were cutting and transporting firewood, Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo, a senior police official, told reporters. "Three individuals succumbed to bullet injuries. Others sustained injuries and are undergoing further medical treatment,” Lhatoo said.

• Meitei groups blame "militants" from the Kuki community for carrying out the attack, which Kuki groups deny. The incident led to protests in Imphal, with locals placing two of the bodies before the residence of the chief minister, local media reported. The bodies were later removed, officials said.

• Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh held a security meeting to review the overall security situation in the state, a statement from his office said. REUTERS