Fresh clashes in Manipur leave at least three dead

More than 180 people have already died between May and July in Manipur

File. Indian army soldiers patrol a deserted village in Churachandpur, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur (Associated Press)

At least three more people were killed and several houses were torched in India’s Manipur in a fresh wave of violence, police officials said late on Friday, as the remote northeastern state continues to tether on the brink of civil war.

More than 180 people have already died between May and July in Manipur, and thousands have been displaced from the Indian state bordering Myanmar, amid reports of rape, beheadings and violence in the region.

The three victims killed on Thursday night belonged to one of the two sparring communities – the majority Meitei group – in the state’s Bishnupur district, a police spokesperson said.

Two communities – Meitei and Kuki – have been up in arms against each other and have carried out killings in the ethnic violence since early May after a court order asked the state to consider extending economic benefits and quotas security in government jobs and education to the majority group of Meitei population, sparking uproar among the locals.

The state benefits were previously reserved for the minority tribal community of Kuki people, comprising nearly 84,000 in the state population of 3.2 million.

Manipur, about 1,519 miles [2444.5km] from New Delhi, has been the scene of near-civil war where mobs have been seen rampaging through villages and torching houses, and even parading women naked and sexually assaulting them.

A dated video of the incident had sparked a huge uproar nationwide, forcing official comment from prime minister Narendra Modi while his administration has been criticised for maintaining a public silence for months. Additionally, the administration has imposed an internet shutdown and kept journalists locked out of the state.

The Christian Kuki community has been protesting against the special status for Meiteis, claiming that it would allow the majoritarian sect to buy land in the hills populated by Kukis and other tribal groups and get a share of government jobs.

The warring factions have also formed armed militias and gunfire continues to plague remote isolated villages.

More than 60,000 people have fled to packed relief camps.