At least 13 people have been killed in crossfire in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, according to a state official and local media.
A state official confirmed to AFP on Monday evening that the bodies had been found in Tengnoupal district, an area near the border with Burma.
According to The Times of India on Tuesday, Manipur police confirmed in a statement the death toll in the latest violence since it broke out in May.
At least 200 people have been killed in Manipur since clashes began between Meitei, a predominantly Hindu ethnic majority, and the predominantly Christian Kuki tribe.
In May, violence flared up again following a protest march against any possibility that the Meitei community, like the Kuki, would receive the more favorable status of a “scheduled tribe” that would guarantee them quotas for public employment and university admissions.
Since then, the state has splintered along ethnic lines. Rival militias formed and erected barricades to prevent members of the opposing community from entering areas they controlled.
Human rights activists say local leaders have exacerbated ethnic divisions for political reasons.
Human Rights Watch accused authorities in Manipur state, which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, of fueling the conflict through “divisive politics in favor of the Hindu majority.”