Imphal: Three people collecting firewood in a forest were killed allegedly by militants in Manipur Monday, triggering protests by locals who placed two bodies outside the chief minister’s residence here.
Three others were also injured as militants opened fire on a group of firewood collectors on the border of Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts, officials said, adding that three more have gone missing.
While Arubam Ronil (35) and Lairenlakpam Inaobi (51) died on the spot, Kshetrimayum Sushil (32) succumbed to injuries at a private hospital, an official said. The injured — N Suraj (19), Meisnam Somendro (53) and K Bosan (45) — were undergoing treatment.
They were among 16 people who had gone to the hills near their village around 7 am to collect firewood when they were ambushed, officials said.
Following the demonstration outside his residence, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh visited the injured undergoing treatment at a private hospital, but did not respond to any media queries.
Angry locals brought the bodies to the state capital to protest the violence that has plagued the state since May 2023. They placed the bodies outside the main gate of the chief minister’s residence in Babupara. It was not immediately known whether the chief minister was at the residence during the protest.
Police fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the protesters, following which the bodies were taken to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS).
Security has also been tightened around the CM Bungalow and the routes leading to it.
Protesters blocked a road at Khurai Lamlong while a group of women staged a demonstration at Ema Keithel in Imphal. Markets and shops across Imphal shuttered following the incident.
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