India's northeastern state of Manipur is on alert after authorities found the bodies of six women and children, believed to belong to the majority Meitei community.
The Meitei groups claimed they were kidnapped by members of the Kuki minority. The police, however, have not confirmed this.
The news sparked a new wave of violent protests over the weekend, prompting authorities to suspend internet services in parts of the state.
The two ethnic groups have been engaged in a deadly ethnic conflict since last May, which has killed 200 people and displaced thousands.
On Saturday, protesters ransacked and set fire to the homes and offices of at least a dozen lawmakers, most of them from the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Police arrested 23 people in connection with the violence and authorities imposed an indefinite curfew and suspended internet services in Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and Bishnupur district.
Following the unrest, the federal government dispatched top security officials to the state. Federal Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday chaired a high-level security meeting on the situation, but the state remains jittery.
At least 20 people – Kukis and Meities – have died in violence between the two ethnic groups this month.
Tensions began on November 7, after members of an armed group allegedly raped a woman, said to belong to the Kuki community, and set her on fire in Jiribam district of the state.
Four days later, a police station and relief camp housing Meitei refugees in the area were attacked. The majority community blamed the attack on Kuki groups.
The same day, police shot dead 10 suspected militants in what they called a shootout, also known as an “encounter” in India.
Police claimed the gunmen were suspected Kuki militants, but Kuki organizations deny this and say the individuals were “village volunteers” – or armed civilians protecting the community.
Following the attack on the relief camp, six residents – a grandmother, her two daughters and three grandchildren – went missing. The Meitei groups claimed they were kidnapped by Kuki gunmen when they attacked the area.
On Friday, police reportedly found six bodies. Although she did not confirm their identities, some Indian media claim that they are those of the missing people.
Protesters and civil society groups in the region are demanding that authorities end the violence and take firm action against armed groups.
Clashes between the Kuki and the Meiteis broke out in May last year. They were sparked by Kuki protests against the Meiteis' demands for official tribal status, which would make them eligible for affirmative action and other benefits.
Since then, the state has seen months of violence and unrest, with only sporadic moments of calm.
Today, Manipur is divided into two camps, with the Meiteis inhabiting the Imphal valley and the Kukis living in the surrounding hills. Borders and buffer zones guarded by security forces separate the two regions.
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