Manipur: 9 arrested for murder of woman, 12-hour shutdown in Naga areas

Police arrested nine people for the murder of a woman in Manipur’s Imphal East district, officials said on Monday (July 17).

The woman in her mid-50s who hailed from the Maring Naga community was shot dead on Saturday evening in the Sawombung area, police said.

The arrests were reportedly made from different parts of the district. The accused included five women and two firearms were seized from their possession.

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Superintendent of Police (Imphal East) Ksh Shivakanta Singh said an investigation was underway, and if any other person was found involved in the murder, they would be arrested.
The Heikakmapal Village Development Committee said it would banish three accused from the locality.

Meanwhile, a 12-hour shutdown began at 6 am on Monday in the areas where Naga people live in the state. The shutdown has been called by the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of Naga’s in Manipur, to protest the killing.

The UNC demanded a judicial inquiry into the murder and “exemplary punishment” for the accused.

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More than 150 people lost their lives and several thousand were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in the state on May 3, after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals – Nagas and Kukis – constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

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(With inputs from agencies)