Manipur Unrest: Another Flare-Up In Tribal Area After Army Forced To Shoot At Violent Mob

The Army was forced to open fire on a riotous mob in Churachandpur that tried to obstruct evacuation of a few Meitei families from the town late Friday night. 

The mob barricaded a road and stopped the Army from evacuating a few besieged families of Meiteis.

Initially, the army officers tries to reason with the mob and repeatedly requested them to lift the barricades.

But the mob was adamant on preventing the evacuation and argued that the army should, instead, evacuate Kuki families stranded in the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley.

Even as attempts to persuade the mob failed, the mob became belligerent and pushed some army jawans. According to some reports, a few men in the mob tried to assault army soldiers and snatch their weapons.

The army was, thus, forced to open fire. Four persons died and a few others were critically injured. 

The situation in Churachandpur is said to be highly volatile. 

Churachandpur is the ground zero of the present unrest sweeping through Manipur.

Trouble originated from this Kuki-dominated hill district after a 'tribal solidarity march' called by students to protest a Manipur High Court order asking the state government to take a firm stand on Meities' demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. 

A few Meitei families were attacked during the March Wednesday (May 3) at Churachandpur, and that triggered retaliatory violence against Kukis in Imphal Valley.

Over 50 people are said to have died and many more are critically injured.