Imphal, Jun 19: A farmer was shot at on Thursday afternoon while he was working in the fields in the valley district of Bishnupur after armed men allegedly opened fire from the surrounding hills, officials said.
The incident happened in Phubala in a fresh escalation of the ethnic strife in Manipur.
Ningthoujam Biren, who was admitted to a hospital with gunshot wounds, said, “I was working in the fields when five rounds were fired.”
Farmers, who were working with him, claimed that the shots were fired from the nearby hills, according to officials.
Located on the periphery of the Imphal valley, the vast farmlands of Phubala are surrounded by the hills in the Churachandpur district on one side.
Security forces have been sent to the area, officials said.
Protesting the incident, locals called a shutdown in Phubala. The movement of security forces was blocked in some areas of the district, they said.
Over 250 people have been killed after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiteis, who live in the valley, and Kukis, who dominate the surrounding hills, in May 2023.(PTI)
