The our bodies have been discovered with a number of bullet wounds in a village within the northeastern state’s Tengnoupal district.

At least 13 individuals have been killed in a gunfight between two unknown armed teams in India’s restive Manipur state, a police official mentioned.

Their our bodies, with a number of bullet wounds, have been discovered on Monday in a village within the northeastern state’s Tengnoupal district the place the official mentioned a “massive” gunfight was reported.

“We are not in a position to immediately identify the dead bodies and cannot say which militant group they belong to,” the official advised Reuters information company by phone from the state capital, Imphal.

“It could be possible the weapons were looted after they were killed,” the official added.

The killings got here seven months after deadly ethnic clashes erupted between members of the bulk Meitei group and the minority Kuki-Zo group over sharing authorities advantages and quotas.

The sporadic violence since May 3 within the distant state has killed no less than 180 individuals and displaced tens of 1000’s of others.

The turmoil erupted following a court docket directive instructing the federal government to ponder extending the particular advantages afforded to the Kuki-Zo individuals to the Meitei group as nicely.

The Meiteis are primarily Hindus and reside in and round Imphal, whereas others such because the Kuki-Zo, are predominantly Christian and reside within the adjoining hill districts.

The tribal communities make up roughly 40 p.c of the state’s inhabitants, which totals 3.5 million.

The tensions within the state bordering Myanmar are seen as a security and political failure by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the ruling occasion within the state.

Modi remained silent in public in regards to the Manipur violence for greater than two months, till viral movies surfaced in July confirmed two girls paraded naked and assaulted by a mob, sparking nationwide outrage.