2 killed, Army major among 50 injured in fresh violence in Manipur
Imphal(PTI): Two persons were killed and 50 others, including an Army major, were injured in fresh violence in Manipur on Friday when hundreds of people from the majority community attempted to storm tribal villages, officials said.
In the morning, a gunfight erupted at Molnoi village near Pallel in Tengnoupal district between security forces and armed persons who attempted to resort to arson and violence in the village.
As the news of the gunfight spread, large groups of Meitei community members, including Meira Paibis and Arambai Tenggol militiamen dressed in commando uniforms, attempted to break through security check posts and move towards Pallel.
Security forces personnel attempted to stop the mob to ensure peace and stability in Pallel, where the situation has been tense for a few days.
Being blocked by the forces, some armed persons who were dressed in police uniforms and part of the mob opened fire, resulting in gunshot injuries to an Army major. The officer was evacuated to a military hospital in Leimakhong by a helicopter. Three other police personnel were also injured in the incident.
In a calibrated response, the forces used minimum force to disperse the mob, officials said.
More than 45 women were injured after security forces personnel lobbed teargas shells to defuse the situation, officials said.
The morning gunfight led to the death of a person, officials said. Also, a 48-year-old man was killed in the crossfire, officials said.
In the meantime, a contingent of RAF personnel heading to Pallel from Imphal to contain the mob was blocked by locals, including Meira Paibis, at Thoubal.
The situation is still tense and firing has temporarily stopped, officials said.
This comes two days after thousands of protesters gathered at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district on Wednesday and tried to break through army barricades.
Though they were claiming that they wanted to reach their deserted houses in Torbung, but sources within the security establishment alleged that the mob wanted to ransack the houses of tribals besides attacking them.
A day before the protest, a full curfew had been clamped in all the five valley districts of Manipur as a preventive measure.
More than 160 people have been killed and several hundreds injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, when a "Tribal Solidarity March" was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill district.
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Chinese astronauts return to earth safely after six-month stint in space station
Beijing, Nov 4: Three Chinese astronauts who spent six months developing China’s low orbit space station returned to Earth safely early Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The capsule of the spaceship Shenzhou-18' carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:24 am (Beijing Time).
The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.
Ye, the Shenzhou-18 mission commander, has become the first Chinese astronaut with an accumulative spaceflight time of more than a year, setting a new record for the longest duration of stay in orbit by a Chinese astronaut.
He served as a crew member in the Shenzhou-13 mission from October 2021 to April 2022.
"Chinese astronauts have flown to space in successive missions. I believe that the record of the duration in orbit will be broken in the near future," Ye said.
Another astronaut Li Guangsu said that they grew two types of plants -- cherry tomatoes and lettuce -- and they had harvested some lettuce leaves for food.
"Being able to eat fresh vegetables in space is truly a blessing. These green plants have also brought a touch of green and good cheer to our busy work," Li was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency.
China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship in April this year.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew utilised the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out dozens of experiments in the fields of basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology, Xinhua report said.
The three were relieved by another set of three Chinese astronauts, including a woman who docked with the orbiting space station on October 30.
China changes crew for the station every six months.
China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army, (PLA).
The two robotic arms of the station, especially the long one which has the ability to grab objects including satellites from space, drew international concerns.
Early this month China announced its plans for the further development of space programmes which included launching a manned lunar mission, construction of a lunar space station, exploration of habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.
