IMPHAL, 20 Nov: A security force jawan and his driver were shot dead by suspected members of Imphal valley-based terror groups in Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Monday, officials said here.
The duo was travelling in a vehicle when suspected terror group members belonging to the state’s majority community carried out an ambush between Haraothel and Kobsha villages, the officials said.
One of the deceased was working with the India Reserve Battalion (IRBn), the officials said.
The incident took place in an area adjacent to the Singda dam, which has become a hotspot for insurgent groups to target tribal community members during the ongoing ethnic violence in the state.
A tribal organisation claimed that the Kuki-Zo community people were attacked without provocation and declared a “shutdown” in Kangpokpi district.
The area witnessed several incidents of gunfight between armed villagers since the ethnic strife between Meitei and Kuki communities began in the state in early May.
Additional forces have been deployed in the area and a search is underway to arrest those involved in the incident, a police official said.
Condemning the “unprovoked attack” on the Kuki-Zo community people, the Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) declared an “emergency shutdown” in Kangpokpi district.
The COTU also demanded that the government make arrangements for a separate administration for tribals. (PTI)
