Two succumb to injuries as fresh firing reported from Manipur
Imphal, Aug 31: Two persons succumbed to splinter injuries in Manipur over the past 12 hours even as heavy gunbattle between two groups was reported from Khoirentak foothills in Bishnupur district and Chingphei and Khousabung areas in Churachandpur district on Thursday morning, officials said.
According to officials, the fresh round of firing comes after a few hours of lull since Wednesday evening.
A person who sustained bomb splinter injuries on his head in Wednesday's violence died on the way to Guwahati via Mizoram, officials added.
Another injured person, who also sustained splinter injuries, died around 9am on Thursday in Churachandpur district hospital where he was undergoing treatment, officials said.
According to officials, out of the five persons who sustained splinter injuries at Chingphei area on Wednesday evening, three were taken to Churachandpur district hospital.
While one was hit by splinters on his head, the others sustained injuries on their shoulders, legs and back, officials said.
On Tuesday, two men were killed and six injured in separate incidents of violence near Narainsena village in Bishnupur.
While one of the victims was killed by a bullet wound, the other died when a countrymade gun he was using misfired and hit him on his face, sources said.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) called for an emergency shutdown in Churachandpur with immediate effect, with the toll in the ongoing violence climbing to four.
Essential services, including water and medical supply, are exempted from the purview of the shutdown, a statement by the ITLF said.
Search operations were conducted by security forces in the fringe and vulnerable areas of Kangpokpi, Thoubal, Churachandpur and Imphal-West districts and recovered 5 arms, 31 ammunition, 19 explosives, 3 packs of IED material, Manipur police wrote on X.
Police have also set up 130 nakas in different districts and detained 1,646 persons in connection with various violations.
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 districts.
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Explosion near CRPF School in Delhi caused by lit cigarette butts: Report
New Delhi: The investigation team that probed the explosion that took place outside the CRPF School in the Prashant Vihar area of the city on October 20 morning has reportedly not found any terror force behind the blast.
The investigation team, consisting of Delhi Police and staff members from central agencies, has stated in its report that cigarette butts thrown by a local resident might have come in contact with industrial waste and have caused the explosion. Circumstantial evidence does not show the incident to have a terror angle to it, reports The Indian Express.
The Delhi Police, the city bomb squad and the fire brigade had rushed to the spot following the explosion, which was initially believed to have been caused by a crude bomb. The forensic experts who inspected the spot hinted at the presence of potassium chlorate, hydrogen peroxide and some electrical wires there. The school wall had been damaged and the windows of a car nearby had shattered in the explosion.
The investigation team scanned the CCTV camera footage and zeroed in on around 10 people questioned. A senior police officer said that a North Delhi-based businessman from Prashant Vihar was found to be present at the spot around five minutes before the explosion, as he had come there on Sunday morning to walk his dog. The CCTV footage showed him smoking and, after questioning him, the team concluded that he had left lit cigarette butts before leaving the spot, the officer added.
The spot where the explosion took place is learned to have been usually used for dumping garbage and also has a public urinal.
An officer has said that the Delhi Police had consulted forensic and technical experts of the National Security Guard regarding the things found on the explosion site but are yet to get the report. The officer added that they have found no detonator so far.
