Several persons were injured and two vehicles of the security personnel were torched after a clash broke out between residents and security forces in Manipur’s Bishnupur on Tuesday.
The clash began after protesters attempted to intercept a vehicle in the Thinungei area, suspecting that armed members of Kuki groups were travelling in it, India TodayNE reported. The situation turned violent as the occupants allegedly refused to engage with those who intercepted the vehicle.
The protesters had blockaded an area along the Tiddim Road amid unrest in the region in connection with a rocket blast in Bishnupur’s Tronglaobi on April 7, which killed two children.
After the clash on Tuesday, security personnel were deployed, who fired tear gas shells to force the crowd to disperse, India TodayNE reported.
The Manipur Police said that on Tuesday morning, a team comprising the Central Industrial Security Force, Assam Rifles and Manipur Airport Police arrested a suspected drug peddler named Mohammed Sabir Ahamed at Imphal airport.
The authorities had seized suspected brown sugar from his checked-in baggage.
The police claimed that Ahamed, during interrogation, disclosed information about a concealed cache of arms and ammunition in the Kwakta area of the Bishnupur district. Security forces were travelling to the area when they were stopped near Thinungei, the police said.
They added that the movement of security personnel “was obstructed by local persons following the spread of mischievous and unverified rumours regarding the identity and purpose of the personnel”. The situation escalated when some members of the group turned violent, the police said.
The crowd was forced to disperse using “minimum necessary force”, including tear gas, the police said. “During the incident, some members of the public sustained injuries, and necessary medical assistance was provided,” they added.
Four persons have been arrested in connection with the violence and the police are attempting to identify others who were allegedly involved.
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