December 5, 2023 4:26 AM EST
At least 13 people were killed in the latest bout of violence to hit Manipur, a state in India’s northeast that has seen simmering ethnic unrest since May.
The 13 died in a gunfight on Monday “between unknown armed miscreants” in Tengnoupal district of the state, Manipur Police said in a post on X. The state police are investigating the violence, the post added.
The state, which shares border with Myanmar, has been roiled by ethnic clashes between the region’s largely-Christian tribal groups and the majority Meitei Hindu residents over access to affirmative action benefits.
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Monday’s violence is the deadliest since clashes broke out in early May. Another 50,000 people are believed to have been displaced, the Hindustan Times reported.
The identities and ethnicities of those killed in Monday’s violence are unknown, the media outlet adds.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced harsh criticism over his handling of the unrest in Manipur. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party runs the state. India’s prime minister easily won a parliamentary no confidence vote, in early August, over the issue — an attempt by the country’s opposition parties to ramp up pressure on him ahead of general elections expected next summer.