3 of 4 missing people found killed in India's Manipur

NEW DELHI, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Three out of four people missing in a fresh spate of violence in the northeastern state of Manipur were found dead, local media reports said Thursday.

The men belonging to the ethnic group Meitei were found dead near the Haotak Phailen village in Churachandpur district, about 70 km south of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur.

The four men hailing from Bishnupur district had gone missing since Wednesday.

"The men had gone to fetch firewood from the nearby forest and subsequently went missing," a local police official was quoted as saying, adding that the search for the fourth person is said to be underway."

Reports said the three persons were suspected to have been killed by gunmen.

Manipur has been on edge since May 3 last year when a large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meiteis community for a scheduled tribe status -- designated for disadvantaged socio-economic groups which gives them reservations in education and government jobs.

The ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority have displaced 60,000 people. The mobs in the state resorted to vandalism and arson targeting houses and shops.

According to officials, the violence has claimed over 180 lives and injured over 1,100.

So far efforts by the federal government to restore peace in the state have not yielded desired results.