Tensions Escalate in Manipur Amid Deadly Gunfight

In Manipur, India, security forces killed ten men following an attempted attack on a police station. The violence is part of ongoing ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis communities, leaving 250 dead and 60,000 displaced since May 2023. A recent incident further heightened tensions in the region.

Ten armed individuals were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in India's northeastern state of Manipur on Monday. Officials reported the men attempted to attack a local police station, further intensifying the region's ongoing unrest.

Sporadic violence in Manipur stems from ethnic clashes triggered by a court decision considering the extension of special benefits to the majority Meitei community, which were previously reserved for the tribal Kukis. The ethnic conflict has resulted in at least 250 deaths and displaced around 60,000 people since May 2023.

Krishna Kumar, the deputy commissioner for Jiribam district, confirmed the attackers were neutralized following swift action by central security forces. The area remains on edge, especially after a gruesome incident in which a 31-year-old tribal woman was killed last week. The state of Manipur has effectively been divided between the Meitei-controlled valley and Kuki-dominated hills, separated by a no-man's land under federal paramilitary oversight.

(With inputs from agencies.)