Death toll in violence-hit Manipur rises to 71: Security advisor Kuldeep Singh

The death toll in Manipur following the recent clashes in the State has gone up to 71 according to Security Advisor to Manipur Government Kuldeep SinghSpeaking to ANI Singh on Friday said Death figure is now approximately 71Yesterday there was an exchange of fire between Manipur commandos and militants Six commandos got injured and one of them got killed Kuldeep Singh said on FridaySingh further said that three PWD labourers were also found dead in a vehicle in the Churachandpur area He said the exact cause behind the incident was yet to be ascertainedThree bodies of PWD labourers along with a vehicle in which they were commuting recovered from a 300metredeep trench in the Churachandpur area However it is being ascertained whether they met with an accident or got killed Singh addedAlso Read Manipur From 4yearolds to those in their 20s violence scars young generationEarlier several locals went missing after being attacked by unidentified people while they had gone to collect some stuff from their burnt houses An exchange of fire between Manipur Commandos and militants was also reported in the state leaving six of the Commandos injured and one dead Singh further addedYesterday there was an exchange of fire between Manipur commandos and militants in which six of the commandos got injured and one died Singh told ANIKuldeep Singh further said that in another incident in Torbung village at the border of Bishnupur and Churachandpur where 11 people had gone to collect some items from their burnt house came under attack by militantsEight of those who were attacked managed to flee and reached the BSF camp while three are still missing he statedA massive search operation was launched by Assam Rifles BSF and CRPF was launched to find them out but we are not able to find them yet said SinghSingh claimed that the situation has improved in the state and following the curfew relaxation has also been extended to seven hours Situation in Manipur has improved quite a lot and because of that curfew relaxation has also been extended to 7 hours now Displaced people living in different camps have been reduced to a bare minimumApprox 45000 have been transported to different places There are no extra flights operating and no stranded passengers at the airport as well Singh saidA curfew was imposed on May 3 after violence broke out in the State The State government clamped down on the use of the Internet and mobile phones to ensure the spread of panic and false information is curtailed Amid the demand of the Meitei for Scheduled Tribe status a rally was organised by the All Tribals Students Union ATSU Manipur on May 3 which later turned violentAs per latest figures close to 71 people lost their lives while more than 230 were injured and close to 1700 houses were burnt down during the violence in ManipurThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever