At least 15 people were injured when suspected Kuki militants armed with sophisticated weapons and bombs attacked two villages in Manipur's Imphal West district, police said on Saturday.

Personnel of the state police and Manipur Rifles stationed at the two villages - Phayeng and Kangchup Chingkhong - retaliated leading to an exchange of fire that lasted for more than four hours on Friday night and later pushed back the militants to nearby hills, the police said.

The injured have been admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and Raj Medicity in Imphal where the conditions of the two injured is stated to be critical, they said.

Reports of fresh attacks in the last twenty-four hours were also reported from Pombikhok in the Bishnupur district though no casualty or injury is reported.

A combined team of Manipur Police, Border Security Force and Assam Rifles recovered seven bodies from the Sugnu-Serou area in Kakching district.

The bodies have been deposited at the morgue of JNIMS, police said, adding that they were killed during the gunfight that broke out last week at Sugnu after armed Kuki militants attacked Sugnu.

At least 98 people lost their lives and 310 others were injured in the ethnic violence in the state that broke out a month ago, the government said in a statement on Friday.

A total of 37,450 people are currently sheltered in 272 relief camps, said the statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Clashes first broke out 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. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

Around 10,000 Army and Assam Rifles personnel have been deployed in the state to bring back peace.

After a relative lull for over a fortnight, the state witnessed a spurt in clashes and gunfights between militants and security forces.

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