CRPF Jawan hurt in Manipur gunfight, houses torched in Senapati
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was wounded in an exchange of fire between two groups in Manipur's Senapati district on Monday, August 24, even as arson attacks destroyed several houses in the area and sparked road blockades by residents, police said.
According to a senior police officer, the violence began before dawn when unidentified assailants set fire to a house in Taphou Kuki village in the neighbouring Kangpokpi district around 2:30 a.m.
The unrest then spread to Senapati district, where multiple houses at Naga Taphou were burned around 4 a.m., the officer said. Later that morning, at approximately 9:20 a.m., a CRPF jawan sustained injuries during a gunfight between two groups in the Taphou Naga area.
The injured trooper was admitted to Senapati District Hospital and is now out of danger, the officer shared, as reported by PTI.
The arson incidents triggered protests, with local residents gathering at the Senapati gate and setting fire to logs and tyres on National Highway 2, disrupting vehicular movement, according to the police officer.
"Security has been strengthened in the area to control the situation," the officer said.
In a statement, the Taphou Kuki Village Authority strongly condemned the destruction of property and demanded that those responsible be identified within 24 hours.
The fresh violence adds to the toll of Manipur's prolonged ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, which has claimed more than 260 lives and displaced thousands since fighting broke out in May 2023.
(Inputs from PTI)
