Six houses torched, tribal villagers attacked in Manipur's Jiribam

At least six houses were torched and residents of a tribal village were attacked by a group of armed militants in ethnic strife-torn Manipur's Jiribam district, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening in Zairon Hmar village after the group of militants set the houses on fire, a senior officer said.

"Preliminary reports suggested that several villagers managed to flee during the attack and took shelter in nearby forest. At least six houses were severely damaged due to the arson. An investigation is underway," he said.

Kuki-Zo organisations claimed that a woman, a resident of the village, was killed during the attack but the report of death has not been confirmed by the district police.

Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence since May last year and over 200 people were killed.

The violence erupted 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, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.