Manipur violence: 175 killed, 32 missing & over 1 100 injured in four months of ethnic strife

At least 175 people were killed and 1,108 others injured while 32 are missing in the ethnic clashes that have erupted in Manipur, the north-eastern state of India since early May. According to official figures, as many as 4,786 houses were set on fire and 386 religious structures vandalised. Addressing the media, IGP (Operations) I K Muivah said, “In this challenging time that Manipur is in, we can reassure the public that the police, central forces and the civil administration are trying round-the-clock to bring normalcy back." Of the weapons that have been “lost”, 1,359 firearms and 15,050 ammunition were recovered, Muivah said on Thursday. A large number of arms and ammunition of the police have allegedly been looted by the rioters during the violence. As many as 5,172 arson cases were reported, Muivah said, adding, 386 religious structures - 254 churches and 132 temples - were vandalised. “Security barricades from Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district to Kangvai in Churachandpur district have been removed, while security has been provided on national highways,” he said. IGP (Administration) K Jayanta said of the 175 people who died, nine are still unidentified. “Seventy-nine of the bodies have been claimed while 96 remain unclaimed. At RIMS and JNIMS (hospitals in Imphal), 28 and 26 bodies have been kept respectively, while 42 are at Churachandpur hospital," he informed. Jayanta said that 9,332 cases have been registered and 325 people were arrested. Meanwhile, IGP (Zone-3) Nishit Ujjwal said NH-32 and NH-2 are functioning normally. Ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.