Commandos of the Manipur Police have been engaging insurgents for over eight hours all day along on Sunday today in several areas of the north eastern Indian state hit by ethnic violence, reported NDTV.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh proudly told reporters they have got reports that "40 terrorists" have been shot dead in different clashes.
"The terrorists have been using M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles and sniper guns against civilians. They came to many villages to burn down homes. We have started taking very strong action against them with the help of the army and other security forces. We have got reports some 40 terrorists have been shot dead," Mr Singh told reporters.
"The terrorists have been shooting at unarmed civilians," Mr Singh said, adding the fight is between armed terrorists trying to disintegrate Manipur and the state government assisted by the centre.
The insurgents simultaneously attacked five areas in and around Imphal Valley at 2 am. The areas were Sekmai, Sugnu, Kumbi, Phayeng and Serou. There were reports of gunfights going on in more areas and unclaimed bodies lying on the streets.
Doctors at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in state capital Imphal told NDTV on phone today they have received 10 people injured in the gunfight at Phayeng.
According to AFP, fresh deadly clashes were reported on Sunday in Manipur although the exact number of fatalities was not immediately clear.
Manipur has been on edge after an explosion of inter-ethnic violence this month killed at least 70 people and left tens of thousands displaced.
The far-flung states of northeast India -- sandwiched between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar -- have long been a tinderbox of tensions between different ethnic groups.
The violence in Manipur earlier in May was between the majority Meitei, who are mostly Hindus and live in and around the state capital Imphal, and the mainly Christian Kuki tribe in the surrounding hills.
Most victims are believed to be from the Kuki community, with some of their villages and churches destroyed by Meitei mobs. But the Meitei were also targeted by the Kukis in some places.
The initial spark was Kuki anger at the prospect of the Meitei being given guaranteed quotas of government jobs and other perks in a form of affirmative action.
This also stoked long-held fears among the Kuki that the Meitei might also be allowed to acquire land in areas currently reserved for them and other tribal groups.
Thousands of troops were deployed to restore order, while around 30,000 people fled their homes for the safety of ad-hoc army-run camps for the displaced. Mobile internet has been cut for weeks.