Security tightened in Manipur’s Bishnupur day after shots fired by unidentified miscreants

Imphal: Additional security forces were deployed on Wednesday in the peripheral areas of Manipur's Bishnupur, a day after unidentified people fired shots, escalating tensions in the restive state, officials said.

Several rounds of gunshots were fired near the vicinity of Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai areas, bordering Churachandpur district, around 9 pm on Tuesday, they said.

“Nobody was injured in the incident. The situation remains calm but tense in the district, with no reports of fresh firing. Additional security forces have also been deployed in the peripheral areas of Bishnupur,” a senior official said.

“Investigation is underway, though no arrests have been made so far,” he said.

Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai were the among the areas where the ethnic violence first broke out on May 3, 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities, the official said.

Meanwhile, several displaced people, particularly women and children, who had returned to their homes in the vicinity of Phougakchao Ikhai after nearly two years, fled once again and took refuge elsewhere in the wake of the firing, he said.

The firing incident took place hours after DGP Rajiv Singh visited Churachandpur district, and held a meeting with senior officers.

Singh chaired a “comprehensive review meeting to assess the prevailing security situation and preparedness", a police statement said.