Authorities reported that ten "armed militants" were killed after allegedly attempting to attack a police post. However, local ethnic organizations challenged this account, claiming that those killed were actually local village volunteers who were on patrol to protect their community.

Life came to a standstill in parts of Manipur, a state in northeastern India, on Tuesday. Schools and businesses remained closed after ten armed men were killed in a gunfight with security forces the previous day.

To maintain law and order, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders on Tuesday, while local ethnic organizations called for an 11-hour "total shutdown" in protest against the killings. The streets in the area were deserted as residents stayed indoors in response to the shutdown.

According to security forces, the violence started on Monday when they retaliated against "armed militants" who attempted to attack a police post near Jiribam, a district town. This confrontation led to a 45-minute exchange of gunfire. Police reported that, following a search of the area, they recovered the bodies of ten armed militants along with sophisticated automatic weapons.

However, the state's Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum disputed the police’s account, claiming that those killed were not militants but local village volunteers from the Hmar ethnic group. According to the forum, these individuals had been patrolling to protect their community following a recent attack on a tribal woman.

In response to the incident, the Hmar Students' Association condemned the event as a "premeditated massacre," alleging that the security forces had collaborated with "Meitei militants."

The state of Manipur has been plagued by violent clashes since May of the previous year, primarily between the Meitei community, which is predominantly Hindu, and the mostly Christian Kuki community. These tensions largely stem from disputes over land rights and economic benefits. As a result of the ongoing conflict, Manipur is now effectively divided into two ethnic zones: a valley controlled by the Meiteis, surrounded by Kuki-dominated hills.

On Monday night, additional reports indicated heavy gunfire in areas bordering the hills and the Imphal Valley. Since the outbreak of