Gunshots were fired near a polling booth in Thamanpokpi in the Moirang area of Manipur on Friday morning amid the voting for phase 1 Lok Sabha elections triggering panic in the area.
A video circulating online shows commotion and people shouting before gunshots are heard in quick succession. Then the voters can be seen running out of the polling booth amid the sound of gunfire.
The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat and Outer Manipur seat went to polls on Friday amid stringent security arrangements. Stray incidents of unrest were also reported in a few places, a police officer told PTI.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh cast his vote at Luwangsangbam Mamang Leikai and urged the people to exercise their franchise to save the indigenous people of the state and protect its territorial integrity.
“I want to appeal to the people of Manipur to cast their votes and save the indigenous population of the state as well as to protect the integrity of the state and bring peace at the earliest,” Biren Singh said.
Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence over the last year between the majority Meiteis, who live in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribal community.
(Press the bell 🔔 Icon, for all latest updates)
