Their bodies, with multiple bullet wounds, were found in a village in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district where the official said a “massive” gunfight was reported.

The state has witnessed sporadic violence since the peak of ethnic clashes that erupted on May 3 between members of the majority Meitei ethnic group and minority Kuki community over sharing government benefits and quotas.

The clashes have marked a rare security failure for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in a state ruled by his Bharatiya Janata Party.

No weapons were found near the bodies, the senior police official told Reuters by phone from state capital Imphal, requesting anonymity.

“It could be possible the weapons were looted after they were killed,” the official said, adding that they could not immediately identify the dead or the militant groups.

Thursday’s comments followed reports by media, including Reuters, as protests rocked the state capital of Imphal, injuring more than 80 people, before the return of an uneasy calm on Friday.

“News of the chief minister’s personal residence being mobbed is false and misleading,” the state police said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Adequate security is already in place.”

Ethnic violence has plunged the state bordering Myanmar into what many security experts describe as an intense civil war fought over land, jobs and political clout between its majority Meitei and minority tribal Kuki communities.

There was no violence on Friday, despite some protesters defying curfew in parts of the city, as police and paramilitary troops stood on guard to keep the situation under control.

“With curfew, as mobile internet is not available, life is becoming complete hell,” said college student Subhash Singh in Imphal, where only a few groceries and chemists were allowed to open to enable purchases of essential items and medicines.

Authorities declared indefinite curfew in Imphal and some areas after clashes on Wednesday following protests against the alleged abduction and murder of two students.

Mobile internet services have been suspended in the state for five days.

Since the violence first erupted on May 3, more than 180 people have been killed, most of them Kukis, and over 50,000 have fled their homes in Manipur.

While buffer zones statewide have come up between the areas dominated by the two communities, the latest round of protests have been largely restricted to the Meitei-controlled area of the Imphal valley.

More than half the state’s population of 3.2 million belongs to the Meitei community, while the Kuki community, who make up about 16%, live mostly in the hills.

The two students, whose bodies were found this week after they went missing in July, were from the Meitei community.

Their families and community leaders have accused Kuki militants of killing them, while criticising authorities for not putting a halt to the violence.

A federal investigative body is now inquiring into the case.

The chief minister, who is from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, denounced the suspected murder and vowed maximum punishment for the culprits.

Leaders of the opposition Congress party have accused the Modi government of failing to control the violence in a state governed by his Hindu nationalist party. Modi’s government says it is pursuing efforts to restore peace through dialogue.

Ethnic violence has plunged the northeastern state bordering Myanmar into what many security experts describe as an intense civil war fought over land, jobs and political clout between its two largest local groups.

“Indefinite curfew had to be implemented in Imphal and in some other districts,” L. Kailun, a senior police official based in the state capital, told Reuters.

More than 80 students were injured in Wednesday’s clashes, another police official said on condition of anonymity.

He added that the situation was “extremely tense” after armed mobs vandalised an office of the ruling political party and hurled petrol bombs at two police sites.

Mobile internet services have been suspended in the state for five days, officials said.

Since the violence first erupted on May 3, more than 180 people have been killed and over 50,000 have fled their homes in Manipur.

More than half the state’s population of 3.2 million belongs to the Meitei community, while the Kuki community, who make up about 43%, live mostly in the hills.

Protests re-ignited over the alleged kidnapping and killing of two students of the Meitei community who had gone missing in July, after their bodies were found this week. The news went viral, reviving the ethnic tension.

The state’s chief minister, N. Biren Singh, who is a leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, denounced the alleged murder, and vowed maximum punishment for the culprits.

Members of the students’ families and Meitei leaders have accused Kuki militants of the latest killing, and criticised authorities for failing to end the violence.

A spokesperson for a Kuki civil society group said it did not have an immediate comment on the latest killings.

Leaders of the opposition Congress party have accused the Modi government of failing to control the violence in a state governed by his nationalist party.

Manipur has been wracked by ethnic violence since May, and security forces were trying to stop the crowd of people from the majority Meitei ethnic group from entering a village of the minority Kuki community, a police spokesperson said.

Another police official said a few paramilitary troops were also injured in the clash, which occurred a day before the start of the Group of 20 summit that India is hosting in the capital New Delhi, some 2,500 km (1,553 miles) away.

Groups of gunmen also exchanged fire with security forces in other areas of the state, the police officials said, but it was not clear if this incident was linked to the ethnic violence.

At least 180 people have been killed, and thousands more displaced, since the Meitei and Kuki communities started fighting over the sharing of economic benefits and quotas.

The federal government has deployed security forces to the hilly state bordering Myanmar governed by Modi’s Hindu nationalist party to quell the violence, which comes as he is looking to secure a third term in a general election due by May next year.

“For some days now, we are getting reports of extended peace. The country is with the people of Manipur. The country wants the people of Manipur to hold on to the peace of the last few days and take it forward,” Modi said in an Independence Day speech from the ramparts of New Delhi’s Red Fort.

The violence between members of the majority Meitei ethnic group and minority Kuki began over competition for government benefits linked to education, jobs and influence.

Among those killed have been 21 women. Numerous incidents of rape have grabbed global attention and raised questions about the ability of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to ensure security.

Modi condemned the sexual assault of women in Manipur and promised tough action but opposition parties accuse his government of dividing the state and not doing enough to end the clashes.

The government rejects those accusations and defeated an opposition vote of no-confidence motion over the handling of conflict last Thursday.

“The state and federal governments are working very hard and will continue to work hard to resolve this peacefully,” Modi said.

Civil rights group in Manipur say thousands of people who have fled from their homes are too scared to return and the restoration of normalcy requires financial aid and legal support.

In his address, Modi listed the social, economic and pro-poor policies implemented during his nine years of rule and said his commitment to growth and making India an economic powerhouse would be sustained after securing a third term.

The decision to conduct the exercise in Australia underscores the growing strategic importance of the region, particularly amidst heightened tensions between China and the United States.

As part of their journey to Sydney, Japanese and Indian navy vessels made stops in Pacific Island countries, including the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. These visits highlight the significance of the region and its role in current geopolitical dynamics. The exercise aims to strengthen cooperation and interoperability among the four forces, enhancing their ability to work together effectively.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Sydney, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, Commander of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, emphasized that the exercise is not aimed at any specific country. He stressed that the four-nation partnership provides a foundation for regional deterrence and serves as an example for other nations operating in the region. Vice Admiral Thomas also noted the increasing focus on island nations in Oceania, particularly those located northeast of Australia.

Indian Navy Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi highlighted the substantial changes that have occurred since the first Malabar Exercise was held in 1992, following the end of the Cold War. He mentioned that Australia’s participation in 2007 sent signals to the world. Australia had temporarily withdrawn from the Quad, as the grouping is known, in 2008 due to objections from China. However, it rejoined Malabar in 2020, despite China’s ongoing criticism of the Quad as an attempt to contain its influence.

Australian fleet commander Rear Admiral Christopher Smith emphasized the importance of the Pacific region to Australia. He highlighted the nation’s commitment to transparency and expressed the understanding that countries in the region have ambitions for growth and development.

The participating ships will be accompanied by Australian F-35 fighter jets, P-8 surveillance aircraft, and submarines. Rear Admiral Smith pointed out that the underwater battle space is seen as the front line in terms of competition and potential future conflicts.

The decision to hold the Malabar exercise off the east coast of Australia, rather than the west coast facing the Indian Ocean, was influenced by the proximity of the ships following the larger Talisman Sabre exercise involving 13 nations, which concluded last week.

The Malabar navy exercise serves as a significant demonstration of the four nations’ commitment to regional security and cooperation. It reinforces the importance of maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region and highlights the ongoing efforts to strengthen ties and interoperability among the participating countries.

Shah told parliament that political instability in Myanmar had prompted thousands of refugees to flee into Manipur across a porous border.

More than 180 people have been killed, many hundreds more wounded and tens of thousands made homeless in Manipur since May.

Since the coup in Myanmar in 2021 the junta has been fighting pro-democracy forces across the country. Chins in northern Myanmar and Kukis in Manipur share the same ethnic lineage.

Shah urged the two warring ethnic sides in Manipur, the majority Meiteis and the Kukis, to come to the table for peace talks and resolve the issue through dialogue.

Resentment between members of the Kuki tribe – who live in the hills, get economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education – and the Meiteis – who control the more prosperous lowlands – spilled over as they clashed on May 3.

The violence was triggered after a court in February suggested that the special privileges granted to the Kukis, comprising 16% of the state’s population, be extended to the Meiteis, who are a majority in Manipur.

The influx from Myanmar, Shah said, created “a feeling of insecurity” among the Meiteis. The February ruling added “fuel to the fire”, he said.

Speaking during the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Shah told parliament that the violence was slowly decreasing, as nearly 36,000 military and paramilitary troops have been deployed in the state.

He said his ministry was “keeping a very close watch to ensure peace”.

“We will do it in the shortest possible time,” he said.

Appealing to the Meiteis and Kukis, he said: “Please leave violence, come and talk to India… Come and talk to us together.”

India’s northeastern states have been historically prone to insurgencies and ethnic violence but the vicious conflict between majority Meiteis and minority tribal Kukis in Manipur hit world headlines last month when a video surfaced of two Kuki women being paraded naked through a jeering mob. In a police complaint reviewed by Reuters, one of the women said she was raped and her father and brother killed.

Kukis say a loosely formed group of Meitei women, known as Meira Paibis, or Women Torchbearers, is responsible for instigating some of the rapes of women of the minority community. The Meiteis deny the accusation but the incidents underline the bitterness between communities in the small state on the border with Myanmar.

“Women’s participation in it (the rapes) underscores the absolute breakdown of all social ties,” said Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group who has written a report on the Manipur conflict.

“It has made the physical and emotional divide between the communities complete and reconciliation now looks unattainable.”

India’s Supreme Court announced this week that it will monitor investigations into cases of sexual violence in the state.

The federal parliament began a no-confidence debate on Tuesday against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for being unable to control the violence, although there is no threat to the administration.

Manipur police chief Rajiv Singh and other senior police officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the cases of sexual violence.

Since the fighting began in early May, at least 180 people, including 21 women, have been killed and tens of thousands made homeless, according to government data.

Security forces say women also block peacekeeping operations, taking advantage of laws that prevent male troops from any physical confrontation with women. They also occupy bunkers on the frontlines, rifles in hand.

In one case of sexual assault, a 19-year-old Kuki tribal woman told Reuters she was raped near the state capital Imphal on May 15 by three men after she was taken to a group of Meira Paibis and beaten in their presence.

“One of the women from the mob gave clear instructions to four men to kill me,” she said in a police complaint filed on July 21, which Reuters has reviewed. She escaped and said she had been too scared to file the report earlier.

Police did not answer questions about the case and there is no record of any arrests.

Moirangthen Thoibi Devi, a Meira Paibis member in Moirang town near Imphal, said suggestions that any Meitei woman could instigate or even support acts of sexual violence were completely “untrue”.

“Meira Paibis does not differentiate between Kuki or Meitei,” she said, speaking alongside a group of other Meitei women. “Kuki mothers are also in pain, Meitei mothers are also in pain.”

Worse Than Anarchy

The women said they had heard of nine Meitei women being raped, but they had no evidence and were not directly aware of any incidents. Reuters was unable to locate any victim and police and Meitei civil society bodies did not share information of any known cases.

Ngainekim, the president of the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights, said she had sent a letter to the prime minister in July saying that “sexual violence and rape as a method or tactic of warfare is being widely perpetrated” by the Meiteis.

Ngainekim, who uses one name, said in the letter that she knew of 13 cases of Kuki women being raped or murdered, including two women who “the Meira Paibis dragged out… from their hostel and handed over to the Meitei menfolk”. They were “later gang-raped and killed in a car wash shed” in East Imphal, she said in the letter, which was reviewed by Reuters.

In a police complaint reviewed by Reuters, the mother of one of the victims blames unnamed Meitei youth but does not mention Meira Paibis.

“The reports of women urging their menfolk on to rape Kuki women…should terrify us,” wrote historian and author Mukul Kesavan in a newspaper column. “A state where women abet the public rape and murder of other women is slouching towards a nightmare worse than mere anarchy.”

Taking Advantage

Security officials accuse women on both sides, but largely Meiteis, of blocking troops from conducting operations, and regulating entry points to their villages. With few women soldiers, the army does not have the authority to act against women.

The Meira Paibis “have weaponised it very well, it’s a major chink in our system,” said a senior officer from the Assam Rifles paramilitary organisation assigned to peacekeeping duties.

“There is a reason we block the army…because they have directly supported the Kukis,” said Thoibi Devi, the woman from Meira Paibis, standing with other women at a checkpoint where they stop all vehicles, including military ones.

Vak Vaiphei, a Kuki leader in the tribal-controlled Kangvai village, said when military personnel try to take over their bunkers, women surround them and push them out.

Nearby, a Kuki woman, wearing a black T-shirt, camouflage trousers and holding a double-barrelled gun, said she felt safer taking up arms against the Meiteis.

“I will be scared if I sit at home,” Lamnu Haokip, 23, said. “But now I’m here, so I can shoot them.”

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said it will appoint a retired senior police official to oversee all complaints of sexual violence to be probed by the federal Central Bureau of Investigations.

The retired police official will report back to the Supreme Court, Chandrachud said.

Last month videos of two tribal Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob of allegedly majority Meitei men had surfaced attracting international condemnation.

The women had said in their police complaints that they were later gang-raped.

Since then several other cases of women being deliberately targeted in violence that has resulted in more than 180 deaths and rendered tens of thousands homeless.

The court has also created a committee of three retired female judges from different high courts to look into the humanitarian issues emerging from the violence.

One of the smallest states in India, Manipur has a population of around 3.2 million. Meiteis, who are 53% of the population reside in the more prosperous valley, while the Kukis with a 16% population share live largely in the surrounding hills.

Since the clashes broke out in early May the situation has become entrenched, with both sides digging bunkers and using sophisticated weapons to target each other.