Mob tries to loot weapons from security camp in Manipur's Thoubal; 1 killed, jawan shot at

A 27-year-old man was killed and an Assam Rifles jawan was shot at after attempts by a mob to steal weapons from an Indian Reserved Battalion (IRB) camp in Manipur’s Thoubal district allegedly led to a conflict with the security forces on Tuesday, said officials.

The mob tried to storm the camp of 3rd IRB batallion in the Khangabok area to loot arms and ammunition, they said.

Soon, a clash with the forces broke out. Initially, rubber bullets and teargas shells were fired by the forces in an effort to contain the situation. According to officials, the soldiers fired back when the armed crowd began to fire.

The mob also blocked the roads leading to the camp at multiple locations to prevent reinforcements from reaching there, but the forces moved through, they said.

The mob attacked a team of the Assam Rifles that was on the way to the camp. They fired on the Assam Rifles personnel, in which a jawan was injured, and torched their vehicle, officials said.

The jawan was shot in the leg, they said.

In the clashes, a man, identified as Ronaldo, was shot. He was first taken to the Thoubal district hospital, but later referred to a hospital in Imphal as his condition was critical. He died on the way to the state capital, officials said.

Ten others were also injured in the clashes, they said.

The situation is under control at present, they added.

Violence first broke out in the state after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. So far, more than 100 people have died and several hundred injured, besides thousands taking shelter in relief camps.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

With inputs from agencies

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