An Assam Rifles jawan opened fire on his colleagues, injuring six of them, and later shot self dead in Manipur, Police said on Wednesday. The jawan was deployed close to the Indo-Myanmar border in South Manipur.
Manipur Police issued a statement on the incident and informed that all injured have been evacuated to the Military Hospital for further treatment and are reported to be stable.
The police said that it is important to share the details of the incident transparently to dispel any potential rumours in light of the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur and avoid any speculation.
"This unfortunate incident should not be correlated with ongoing conflict, given the fact that none of the injured are from Manipur. Investigation into the incident has been ordered to ascertain the facts. All Assam Rifles battalions have mixed class composition including those belonging to various communities from Manipur. All personnel have been staying and operating together despite polarization of society to maintain peace and stability in Manipur," Manipur Police said.
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Manipur has been severely hit by ethnic violence that has been going on since May last year and has killed around 200 people so far.
The violence erupted on May 3 after 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. At the same time, tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.
