The police in Manipur’s Imphal East district on Thursday fired tear gas shells at protestors who were demanding the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state.
Nearly a hundred persons living in the Akampat relief camp conducted a march to demand that those displaced by the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities be rehabilitated, and the conflict be resolved, The Hindu reported.
The protest was organised by the Committee on Protection of Meitei Victims, Moreh, the Hindustan Times reported.
The police claimed that the crowd turned unruly and threw stones at their vehicles, because of which officials “had to resort to firing minimum rounds of tear gas shells”. Several persons were hurt in the clashes, including a journalist named Mutum Rameshchandra who was covering the rally.
The All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union and Editors Guild Manipur alleged that Rameshchandra was attacked by a police official, and demanded a “thorough and impartial investigation” into the matter.
Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the Meitei and tribal Kuki communities since May 2023. Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday told the state Assembly that at least 226 persons were dead and more than 59,000 persons displaced since the beginning of the clashes.
The Hindu quoted unidentified locals as saying that the violence led to panic among students of a nearby school.
Videos on social media showed students in uniform squatting on the floors of their classrooms as protestors and the police clashed outside.
The police claimed that the videos were circulated to create panic among people. “It is appealed to the public not to do such things for creating panic among the general masses, else strict legal action will be taken,” the police said.
On Wednesday, another protest march was conducted by four Kuki-Zo groups in Churachandpur against the government’s decision to replace the Indian Army’s 9 Assam Rifles Battalion with the Central Reserve Police Force in the district.
“Replacing this seasoned and neutral battalion with the CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force], which does not possess the same level of local knowledge and expertise, is not only a strategic misstep but also a grave injustice to the people of Churachandpur,” a statement issued by the groups said.
The Kuki-Zo groups added: “The CRPF, despite its commendable service across the nation, lacks the specific experience and nuanced understanding required to effectively manage the delicate situation in the state.”
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