“This morning, gunmen attacked three villagers from the Kuki-Zomi community in Kangpoki. The three were travelling in the vehicle when it came under attack in the Kanggui area of the district,” an official said, reported Xinhua.

Reports suggest the attackers ambushed the vehicle.

On Friday, violence in the state’s Pallel town of Tengnoupal district left two killed and over 50 others injured.

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

The ongoing violence has so far killed over 160 people in the northeastern Indian state. The ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority have displaced 60,000 people.

The mobs in the state have been resorting to vandalism and arson during which hundreds of houses and shops were gutted. A large number of weapons have also been looted from the police stations and armouries during the violence, according to media reports.