Will Provide Security To Farmers In Vulnerable Areas: Manipur Government

A day after a farmer was shot at in Manipur's Bishnupur district, the state government on Friday announced to provide security to the farmers in the vulnerable areas, officials said.

A senior police official said that adequate security would be provided to ensure the safety of farmers in the fields and prevent incidents involving the farmers.

A woman was killed and a farmer shot at in separate incidents in Manipur's Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts, respectively, on Thursday.

The official said Ningthoujam Biren Singh, a farmer from Phubala Awang Maning Leikai, was shot in his left arm by an unknown armed miscreant while working in his paddy field at Phubala Maning in Bishnupur district.

Mr Singh, who belonged to the Meitei community, was initially taken to the district hospital in Bishnupur for medical treatment and was later referred to the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Imphal.

His condition is reported to be stable at present.

In response, security forces launched a search operation in and around Langchingmanbi, Heichanglok, and the western areas of Phubala village.

During the operation, security forces came under fire from unknown armed attackers and the forces retaliated accordingly.

During the crossfire, a woman identified as Hoikholhing Haokip from Langchingmanbi village was found dead with a bullet injury. She was from the Kuki tribes and was the wife of the village chief of Langchingmanbi.

A Manipur Police statement said cases have been filed in connection with the incidents, and an investigation is going on.

Combined teams of security forces are continuing search operations to catch the perpetrators, the police said. The statement said every effort is being made to bring those responsible to justice at the earliest. Additionally, security arrangements related to farming activities in the area will be reviewed. The people are requested to maintain peace and not circulate unverified information, the police said.

On June 15, tension erupted in Manipur's Imphal East district over a dispute related to the farming of a paddy field and land ownership. It was defused with the deployment of additional security forces in the area.

A police officer had said that a farmer belonging to the Meitei community from Leitanpokpi area went with a tractor to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak village in Imphal East, near a Kuki-inhabited village.

"Some Kuki villagers nearby came and objected, claiming that the paddy field does not belong to the Meitei farmer. In the meantime, some people of the Meitei community, who were nearby, also came to the spot. Videos were circulated saying Kukis have come down to stop Meitei farmers," the officer had said.

An officer of the agriculture department said that as the agricultural season nears its peak, unresolved land access disputes and the lack of effective protection for farmers continue to deepen ethnic divide and fuel unrest in conflict-affected areas of Manipur.

The current kharif (monsoon) season runs from June to October.

Due to the ethnic violence in Manipur, farming activities have been affected in both Imphal valley and hilly areas during the past more than two years.

In another development, the security forces arrested eight insurgents including a woman belonging to banned outfits in Manipur during the past 24 hours from Imphal West, Tengnoupal, Kakching and Bishnupur districts.

Of the eight, two were members of the banned Peoples' Liberation Army.