Imphal, Mar 3 (IANS): In two separate incidents, two youths were gunned down in Manipur on Friday night and Saturday.

The troopers of 38 Assam Rifles engaged with unidentified persons at 8.30 p.m. on Friday night near the Imphal river in Kangpokpi district. One person was killed in the firefight and his body was kept in the mortuary pending official identification. One rifle and 68 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the site.

In another incident, eight youths were returning home at Naga Mapal in Imphal from a community dancing held on the occasion of the Holi festival when some unidentified persons fired and wounded two people, Thokchom Jagat (28) and T. Memcha, who later succumbed to his injuries.

The rest of the youths were beaten up with the gun butts. They said that the assailants had come in a car.

T. Memcha was rushed to a private hospital in Imphal. However, his mother alleged that the private hospital did not administer any treatment to her son who was admitted at 2 a.m. on Saturday.

Some staff kept on assuring her that nothing will happen to her son. However, one hour later she was informed that the boy had died. She said, "We will not accept the medical negligence."

She said that her son was innocent and the body shall not be claimed till the killers are accounted for. A large number of women staged a sit-in protest at Naga Mapal against the killing.

A woman said that the protest shall continue till the police arrest the killers. The police said that the security measures had been beefed up to maintain the law and order during the 5-day festivity in Manipur.