Reported by Bit Irom
Imphal: Security forces fired tear gas shells on Sunday to disperse protesters opposing the establishment of a temporary Assam Rifles outpost at New Heaven in Manipur’s Ukhrul district.
The confrontation occurred around noon when protesters, most of them Tangkhul Naga women, blocked a road as Assam Rifles vehicles attempted to pass through the area, which falls under the jurisdiction of Shokvao village. Standoff over the outpost began on Saturday.
The Katho Katamnao Long (Katho Students’ Union), Katho Long and the Katho Women Coordination Committee (KWCC) have condemned the establishment of the outpost at New Heaven, alleging that it encroaches on the village’s jurisdiction and undermines the authority of the village administration.
According to the groups, the village authority had repeatedly conveyed its objections to the Assam Rifles and sought the withdrawal of personnel from the site.
The organisations said their opposition was not directed at security measures but at what they described as the absence of consultation with village authorities and local residents before the outpost was established.
They further stated that village women had taken the lead in engaging with the Assam Rifles’ 40 Shangshak Battalion in an effort to prevent activities within the village’s jurisdiction.