Manipur: crowd sets IRB personnel's house on fire after clash

The house of an Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel was torched by a mob in Manipur's Thoubal district after he foiled the attempts of rioters to loot firearms from the police armoury, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident took place at Samaram on Tuesday night after a 27-year-old man, identified as Ronaldo, was killed in a clash when a 700-800-strong mob tried to storm the camp of the 3rd IRB at Wangbal, 4 km away, to loot firearms from the police armoury.

The jawan performed his duty well and did not allow the rioters to loot the police weapons store, security officials said.

He was part of the IRB unit guarding the armoury, they added.

Police said that four bunkers were destroyed in Kangpokpi, Imphal West and Churachandpur districts on Wednesday by a combined team of the state police and central forces.

Firing between groups of unidentified gunmen was reported during the day in Luangshangol / Phaileng area along the border of Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts. Security forces controlled the situation, the police said in a statement. On Tuesday, the forces used teargas shells and rubber bullets at first when the IRB camp was attacked. But as the armed mob opened fire, the forces shot back, the officials said.

The mob also blocked the roads leading to the camp at multiple locations to prevent reinforcements from reaching there, but the forces moved through, they said.

The mob attacked a team of the Assam Rifles that was on the way to the camp. They fired on the personnel, in which a jawan was injured, and torched their vehicle, officials said.

The jawan was shot in the leg, they said.

After Ronaldo was shot, he was taken away by the mob to the Thoubal district hospital, but was later referred to a hospital in Imphal as his condition was critical. He died on the way to the state capital, officials said.

Ten others were also injured in the clashes and six of them with serious injuries were admitted to a hospital in Imphal, they said.

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