Manipur unrest: 3 houses set on fire in Imphal east; 3 injured

At least three people including one Rapid Action Force personnel and two protesters were injured after security personnel resorted to tear gas shelling

By Lucky Boy Singh

Manipur capital Imphal’s New Checkon area and its neighbourhood turned into a virtual war zone for hours on Thursday, with cases of arson and mega protests held in the area.

While at least three houses were set on fire in New Checkon, thousands of women demonstrated at the Ando Parking Area in Konung Mamang, expressing their anger over the killings in Khemenlok under Saikul Assembly Constituency.

Imphal East SP rushed to the spot to try to persuade the protesters to vacate the area. Rapid Action Force personnel also tried to convince the protesters to vacate the area.

At least three people including one Rapid Action Force personnel and two protesters were injured after security personnel resorted to tear gas shelling.

The situation got tense when a house was set on fire in the New Chekon area around 1 p.m. today.
When fire and emergency services personnel and security forces rushed to the spot, locals gathered and heated arguments broke out.

As the situation started to turn volatile, the forces had to resort to tear gas shelling to disperse the crowd.

In fact, additional forces had to be rushed in to control the situation. Things turned worse when another house was set ablaze in the area. However, the fire and emergency services responded quickly and brought the flames under control.

A large number of protesters, most of them women, marched towards New Checkon and blocked roads at Konung Mamang and Old Palace.

It took more than a couple of hours to bring things under control. In fact, scuffles between security personnel and the protesters continued until the evening.

New Checkon is an area with a mixed population of Meiteis, Kukis, Nagas, and Manipuri Muslims, or the Pangal community. Tension has been running high in the area following the violence in Khamenlok, where over nine people died.

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