Tension is mounting between tribals and non-tribals following the killing of two youths who misbehaved with a woman devotee in a village in Churachandpur district on Saturday night. Police are patrolling all trouble-prone areas, and paramilitary forces are kept in readiness.
Bimolchandra Sharma, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu that the situation was tense but fully under control.
It was alleged that when devotees were going to a temple located on the Thangjing mountain, some tribal youths at Golthon village, under the influence of liquor, passed obscene remarks at a 23-year-old woman. Irate devotees accompanying her beat up the tribal youths who, however, fled the spot.
After some time, the tribal youths came back and again passed vulgar remarks at the woman. This led to a clash between non-tribals and tribals, in which Jangminlien Chongloi (18) and Thensi Haokip (19) were killed.
Four other tribal youths were wounded and admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital here. The condition of one of them was said to be serious.
The families of the deceased and tribal organisations have refused to claim the bodies from the hospital mortuary.