A woman was shot dead outside a school in Manipur’s Imphal West district by unidentified assailants on Thursday, according to reports. This comes amidst ongoing ethnic clashes in the northeastern state. The violence has been raging in the state for more than two months. 

This incident reportedly sparked panic in the area, where schools reopened on Wednesday. The woman has not been identified yet, according to police officials. However, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) identified the woman as Donngaihching, a mentally ill woman who lived on alms provided by locals in the district. Reports claim that this incident follows after security forces disrupted a confrontation in Kangpokpi district between two armed groups from Mapao and Awang Sekmai regions. 

In another incident, the house of an Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel was set ablaze by a mob in the Thoubal district. He was set ablaze after he succeeded in preventing rioters from looting firearms from a police armoury. The Indian Reserve Battalion personnel who was a part of a unit safeguarding the armoury became a target after he stopped a riotous crowd from storming the third Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) at Wangbal.

The deadly confrontation between the IRB personnel and the crowd resulted in the death of a 27-year-old man, identified as Ronaldo. The 27-year-old man was injured and later succumbed to his injuries while he was on his way to a hospital in Imphal West. Ten people have received serious injuries and are under treatment in a hospital. 

Considering the escalating violence in the state, the N Biren Singh led government has extended the internet ban till July 10 in the state. The internet ban was first implemented on May 3, in an effort to avert the proliferation of hate speech, inflammatory images and video messages that could potentially incite further unrest.  

The ongoing violence in Manipur initially erupted following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ that was organized to contest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Since May 3, more than hundred people have been killed owing to the ongoing violence. 

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