Guwahati, Dec 7 (PTI) The Global Manipur Federation (GMF), a platform of Manipuris residing in some foreign countries, has demanded that the state government apprehend those responsible for killing 13 people on a single day in the restive state recently.

A total of 13 people were killed on December 4 in a gun battle between two groups of militants at Leithu village in Tengnoupal district, which shares a porous border with Myanmar.

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"GMF urges the Government of Manipur to officially recognise these individuals as martyrs and calls upon the authority to employ all necessary legal measures to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this mass killing," the organisation said in a statement.

Condemning the killing, the GMF expressed condolences to the families affected by the killing.

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"GMF urges the Government of Manipur to officially recognise these individuals as martyrs and calls upon the authority to employ all necessary legal measures to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this mass killing," the statement added.

The organisation stated that the victims, some still in their teenage years, fell victim to a massacre perpetrated by militants.

The GMF, headquartered in South Korea's Suwon, also claimed that many of the victims were Internally Displaced People (IDPs) residing in relief camps.

The organisation appealed to the state and central governments to undertake confidence-building measures towards ending this crisis and bringing a durable peace at the earliest.

More than 180 people were killed since the violence erupted on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)