Five people were killed in a new outbreak of violence in Manipur's Jiribam district on Saturday morning, according to police. A police officer reported that one individual was shot dead while asleep, and four others, who were armed, were killed in an exchange of gunfire that followed.
Militants entered the house of the person who lived alone in an isolated location around 5 km from the district headquarters and shot him dead in his sleep, he said.
Following the killing, a heavy exchange of gunfire erupted between armed men from the warring communities in the hills, about 7 kilometers from the district headquarters. This confrontation resulted in the deaths of four armed individuals, including three militants based in the hills, according to the police officer.