Police fired tear gas shells on Thursday evening to disperse a mob which had gathered at Khwairamband Bazaar in the heart of Imphal where the body of a man killed in the morning in a gunfight in Kangpokpi district was brought and placed in a traditional coffin.
Demonstrators, led by women, threatened to carry the coffin in a procession to Chief Minister Biren N Singh’s residence, officials said.
They were also seen burning tyres in the middle of the road to prevent police from arresting them.
“Police accompanied by RAF personnel arrived at the spot and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Then they shifted the body to the morgue at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences here,” officials said.
In the melee, a BJP office was also attacked.
Earlier in the day, a person was killed and a few others were injured when “rioters” opened firing without any provocation at Haraothel village in Kangpokpi district.
While the local army unit tweeted that “unconfirmed reports” indicated some casualties in the incident, official sources said one body had been recovered from the area and a few others could be seen lying on the ground.
It was not immediately clear whether they were dead or injured as intermittent firing was still going on in the area, the official sources said.
Giving details, the official Twitter handle of the army, operating in the region, said armed rioters opened unprovoked firing at 5.30 am.
“Own troops deployed in the area immediately mobilised to prevent escalation of situation. While enroute to the site, own columns drew effective fire from armed rioters,” the official “Spear Corps” handle of the army said.
It said the troops “responded in a calibrated manner to prevent any collateral damage. Swift action by troops resulted in cessation of firing.
“Additional columns moved to the area. Unconfirmed reports indicate some casualties. Build up of large crowds in the area also reported. Situation being closely monitored and further details will follow,” it said.
In another tweet in the evening, the Spear Corps of the army said, “Buildup of mob in the area to interfere with operations by security forces effectively controlled.”
“At approx 4 PM, troops deployed in the area heard firing from east of village K Munlai. Further, at approx 5.15 PM, exchange of fire reported from direction of village Bethel, south of National Sports University. Own columns are dominating the area to de-escalate the situation,” it added.
The area is located around 20 km from state capital Imphal.
More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far.
Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. (PTI)
