Three killed in fresh clashes in India’s Manipur state

New Delhi: Three men were killed in renewed fighting between rival ethnic groups in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, police said, in the latest episode of unrest in the conflict-hit region.

In a statement issued late on Friday, Manipur police said, "In a heavy exchange of fire… three individuals sustained fatal bullet injuries, describing the deaths as the result of gun battles in Mullam village in Ukhrul district. The police statement did not identify the community affiliation of those killed. Authorities said security had been tightened in the area following the violence. According to the statement, Security measures have been enhanced in the area to prevent further escalation of violence, while adding that Operations are still underway."

Manipur has experienced recurring violence for nearly three years, with tensions centred on clashes between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki community. More than 250 people have been killed in the unrest.

The conflict has been linked to longstanding hostility between the two communities, particularly over access to land and government employment. Rights activists have accused local political leaders of deepening ethnic divisions for political purposes.

Violence in the state escalated in 2023, when about 60,000 people were displaced from their homes, according to government figures cited in the report. Although the situation had eased, fresh bloodshed was reported earlier this month when four people, including two children, were killed in an attack by a Kuki group. A Meitei mob later stormed a paramilitary camp.

Migration of Bnei Menashe community

Separately, on Thursday, 249 Indians from Manipur and Mizoram arrived in Tel Aviv. They belong to the Bnei Menashe community, which claims descent from one of the ‘lost tribes’ of Israel.

The group was the first to reach Israel since the Israeli government decided in November to finance the immigration of around 6,000 members of the community.

The community’s oral history recounts a centuries-long journey through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and China, during which they retained certain Jewish religious practices, including circumcision. In India, they were later converted to Christianity by 19th-century missionaries.