Armed men attacked Sugnu village in Manipur's Kakching district on Wednesday morning, triggering a gunfight with village volunteers stationed in the area, officials said.

No injuries have been reported so far, but sporadic firing is continuing, according to police.

"Several armed individuals fired shots towards Sugnu, prompting a response from the village volunteers," police said.

Additional security personnel have been dispatched to the area to manage the situation.

Last May, Sugnu witnessed severe violence, resulting in the burning of numerous houses and the loss of more than five lives, which compelled hundreds of villagers to seek refuge in relief camps.

On Tuesday, a 25-year-old village volunteer was killed and two others were injured in a gunfight between two warring communities at Pukhao Shantipur in Imphal East district. He was taken to a private hospital in Imphal where he succumbed to his injuries.

An army officer also suffered gunshot injuries in a separate incident in the district when he, along with other security personnel, was going to control a situation.

More than 180 people were killed in Manipur since the ethnic violence erupted on May 3 last year 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 mainly in the hill districts.

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