5 abandoned houses burnt in Manipur village, militants chased away: Police

Suspected militants burnt at least five abandoned houses at a village in Manipur's Imphal West district before they were chased away by security forces, police said on Monday. The militants had started firing indiscriminately from hilltops to the low-lying valley areas of Koutruk and neighbouring Kadangband from Sunday afternoon and managed to reach the outskirts of Koutruk village, a senior officer said. "Five abandoned houses were burnt by the militants. The residents had fled their homes after the gun and bomb attack that began around 2.30 pm on Sunday. The militants were pushed back by security forces on Sunday night," the police officer told PTI. Two persons, including a woman, were killed and nine others injured on September 1 when the suspected militants launched the attack on people in the area. Koutruk, located around 18 km from the state capital Imphal, has witnessed several attacks since ethnic violence in Manipur broke out in May last year. The attack by suspected ...