Neighbouring villages in deadly clash at Tbl dist.;1 succumbed to bullet injury; another injured

Imphal, June 27: Simmering tension among residents of two neighbouring villages called Nungei Meitei Village and Nungei Muslim village in Thoubal district under Lilong Police station reached the tipping point today afternoon as ground zero report highlighted war like situation with each side preparing to strike out on the other any time. Villagers from each side engaged in hours-long stone pelting war at around 10 am today. State forces deployed at the area since the aftermath of the April 11 incident were left helpless.
Imphal Times reporter Ranbir Laishram while reporting from the spot said that at around 11.00 am when they reached the spot (Nungei Laishram Leirak road) villagers of both side pelted stones and later gun shots were heard. IRB troops deployed at the area remained alert since last night but as fire arms were reportedly used they too restrain from acting as there are possibilities of human casualty. Additional troops of state police which were rushed to the site were stranded for around 2 hours on the way as some of the villagers resisted them. Later, at around 2.30 pm the additional state police team arrived at the site and fired rounds of tear gas shell and mock bomb to disperse the villagers of both side.
Report said that a 16 years old boy identified as MD. Arif Makak, son of Md. Rirajuddin of Lilong Nungei Idiga Road succumbed to injury after being hit by barrel gun shots. He was reported to have been brought death by authorities of Shija Hospital and Research center, Langol at around 1.30 pm today.
Another person identified as Nuhirbur Rahman (25)s/o Habibur @ Haman also sustain injury in yesterday’s incident.
On being questioned about the root of the incident, a villager while speaking to the media team said that in the aftermath of the April 11 incident where some persons fired on a group of women Meira Paibis injuring around 9 of them, a temporary fencing was constructed in between the two villages besides deploying an IRB post. Yesterday evening, at around 9 pm, some IRB personnel were reportedly abused verbally by some youths following which the IRB personnel tried to stop them but instead of listening they ran away.  After few hours the villagers on the other side of Nungei Meitei Village put up a loud speaker and shouted instructions to attack any state police or the IRB personnel.  The villagers also dug out the road next to the fencing side. While some are digging the road many pelted stones and started firing rounds of gun shots. The IRB personnel too retaliated with rounds of gunshots in the air but have to retreat as the situation was not under their control.
As stones were also pelted to some houses of Nungei Meitei Village, the villagers too gathered and prepared for a battle. The Villagers said that due to the request of the IRB personnel they too did not strike back.
“But today morning too they (the villagers) started pelting stones on the village and we too have no choice but to give them befitting reply”, said a Villager of Nungei Meitei Village.
Situation still remain volatile as the villagers on both sides prepare to strike at each other at the time of filing this report. An armoured vehicle of the IRB troops was hit by bullet during yesterday night’s incident. Additional state forces which reached the spot at around 3 pm somehow managed to control the situation till the filing of this report.