Imphal: Protesters demonstrating against the killing of three Meitei men in Manipur clashed with police outside a sports complex in Imphal on Wednesday, prompting security personnel to fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Three people sustained minor injuries, an officer said.
The protest took place outside Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, where Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh and state Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam were attending the first Manipur Poomsae Taekwondo Championship, with delegates from South Korea also participating.
Women protesters attempted to storm the complex, arguing that the chief minister and home minister should not attend a sporting event while civilians were being killed and the state continued to face a law and order crisis.
The demonstrations followed an October 19 ambush in the Sunurok hills of Kangpokpi district, in which militants allegedly attacked 14 Meitei men collecting firewood. Three of them were killed.
In a separate protest at Khabeisoi in Imphal East district, demonstrators burnt effigies of Rajya Sabha MP A Sharda Devi and Konthoujam over the killings.
Several Meira Paibi, or women activists, also gathered outside Devi’s residence in Brahmapur, Imphal East, to question what they described as her “silence” on the killings. They left after Devi assured them through a video call that their demands would be conveyed to the government.
Normal life remained affected across all five Imphal Valley districts as markets stayed shut and public transport remained off the roads during a 48-hour shutdown called by the Native People Committee Manipur. The shutdown began at midnight on Tuesday in protest against the killings.
Police also reported an incident near Pechi village in Thoubal district on Tuesday, in which four daily-wage workers were allegedly manhandled by people claiming to be volunteers enforcing the shutdown. One person was injured.
A senior police officer said police responded after receiving information, rescued all four workers and registered a suo motu case.
Manipur has been affected by ethnic conflict between the valley-based Meitei and hill-based Kuki communities since May 2023. The conflict has claimed at least 306 lives, while several people remain missing. Clashes between Kuki and Naga communities in the state have also reportedly killed around 50 people since February this year.