1 injured in firing by security forces near Manipur CM’s event: Police

In a statement, the Manipur police said that a large group of individuals armed with stones and catapults advanced toward the function site

One person was injured in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Tuesday when security forces opened fire at a group of people protesting chief minister Y Khemchand Singh’s visit to the district for the inauguration of a government building on Tuesday, police said.

Torch rallies have since been held at multiple locations in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley. (Representative Image)

Police said Elangbam Nandbir Singh (40), sustained a bullet injury and was admitted to a private hospital in Imphal.

The protest along National Highway 102 forced the chief minister to fly to the event rather than travel by road.

Meira Paibi, a collective of Meitei women, had called for a boycott of the chief minister’s visit to Wangjing Tentha for the inauguration of a newly constructed block development office (BDO) to protest the April 7 bomb attack in Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, which killed two children.

In a statement, the Manipur police said that a large group of individuals armed with stones and catapults advanced toward the function site to vandalise the newly constructed BDO office.

Despite repeated warnings and appeals by police personnel to disperse, the crowd continued to move aggressively, posing a serious threat to public property, dignitaries present, and overall law and order, police said.

At the event, the chief minister alluded to the protests and underscored that he did not face any hurdles travelling to hill districts but was surprised to see opposition to his visit in Thoubal district of the valley.

“I recently visited many hill districts and there were no opposition to my visit there. But, I am surprised by the protest in Thoubal district against my visit,” he said, stressing that all differences could be sorted out by sitting together.

“All solutions come after talks between the parties involved, he added.

On Monday, a policeman was injured when a mob attacked a government building and set it ablaze.

A five-day shutdown against the Tronglaobi killing of the two children has been observed since Sunday midnight across five districts. The United Naga Council called for a separate 72-hour shutdown from Sunday midnight in Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur against the killing of two Tangkhul Nagas, including an ex-serviceman, in an alleged ambush of suspected Kuki militants in Ukhrul on Saturday.

The Manipur government has announced that the ambush case will be handed over to the National Investigating Agency for a transparent investigation.

The same day as the Tronglaobi killings, three people were killed after security forces allegedly fired at a mob that stormed a paramilitary camp in Bishnupur during protests against the deaths of the two minors. The mob vandalised the camp.

Torch rallies have since been held at multiple locations in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley under the banners of the Meitei groups All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation and the Coordinating Committee (COCOMI) on Manipur Integrity. On Sunday, COCOMI announced a boycott of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s political activities.

Unrest in Manipur has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people since May 2023. It first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities and has since involved almost every group.
Meanwhile, the district magistrate, Kangpokpi district, Mahesh Chaudhari, has imposed an indefinite total curfew across the entire scheduled area of the district, effective immediately from 6 pm Tuesday. The restriction was imposed with an apprehension of a serious security threat to the lives and properties of citizens in and around S. Chanoubung, T. Khullen Villages and neighbouring areas, especially along the NH-02 Highway section, Kangpokpi Sub-Division, Kangpokpi District, Manipur.