Following an incident that led to the killing of a Myanmar national and grievous injuries to seven others late on Thursday in Tamu town, about 10 km inside the neighbouring country, India has beefed up security measures to ensure there is no massive influx of foreign nationals.
The international border was sealed last year to prevent Myanmar nationals from entering India. People feared that the COVID-19 pandemic may trigger a mass exodus.
Officials said that Myanmar army personnel resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on pedestrians in Tamu. One person died on the spot. Of the seven injured, three were rushed to Moreh town of Manipur for treatment. As their condition worsened, they were shifted to Imphal on Friday for further treatment.
Security measures have been tightened along the international border as many more foreigners may sneak into Manipur. Some foreigners had taken shelter in northeastern States.
The Centre has announced that foreigners are not allowed to sneak into Manipur. Assam Rifles and State forces are patrolling the porous border.
The pandemic has severely affected the legalised border trade at Moreh in India and Namphalong and Tamu in Myanmar.
