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| India-Pakistan | ||
| Schools closed in restive Indian state after rocket attack | ||
| 2024-09-08 | ||
| [GEOTV] Schools were ordered shut from Saturday in the restive Indian state of Manipur after a rocket attack by turbans killed a civilian and maimed six others. Fighting broke out in the northeastern state more than a year ago between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community.
A local government notice said all schools in the state would be closed on Saturday, when classes are usually held, to protect the "safety of the students and teachers". The day before, a rebel group had fired rockets in the state's Bishnupur district, an attack that local police attributed to "Kuki turbans".
Officers responding to the attack "were fired upon by suspected Kuki forces of Evil but the police team retaliated robustly and repelled the attack", the statement said. Local media reports said the elderly man was killed when a rocket hit the residence of the late Mairenbam Koireng Singh, a former chief minister of Manipur. The Indian Express newspaper, citing an unnamed security source, said that the rockets appeared to be "improvised projectiles" made using "galvanised iron pipes attached to explosives". Friday's attack came days after turbans used drones to drop explosives in what police called a "significant escalation" of violence in the state. A 31-year-old woman was killed and six people were maimed in that incident, which police described as an "unprecedented attack" by rebels. Longstanding tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities revolve around competition for land and public jobs, with rights activists accusing local leaders of exacerbating ethnic divisions for political gain. Related: Manipur: 2024-05-24 Russian immigration streams in as Israel predicts uptick in Western newcomers Manipur: 2024-01-06 Bnei Menashe community disputes Israeli reports of 7 killed in India violence Manipur: 2024-01-04 Good Morning Related: Meitei 01/04/2024 7 members of Jewish Indian tribe killed in rocket strike on synagogue in Manipur Meitei 07/23/2023 Mob of Indian women set fire to home of suspect in rape case enraging nation, 6 arrested thus far, 2 more mob rape-murders on the same day Meitei 07/22/2023 Manipur Viral Video Case: 4 Accused Sent to 11-Day Police Custody | ||
| Posted by:Fred |