Manipur: 22, including 12 security personnel, injured in land dispute clash

Imphal: At least 14 villagers and 12 security personnel were injured on Wednesday after a clash broke out in Manipur’s Tamenglong district over a land boundary dispute involving three villages Dailong, Duigailong, and Old Tamenglong, police said. A mob also torched the public works department (PWD) inspection bungalow.

The violence that erupted around 12.30 pm on Wednesday was in connection to an order issued on April 15, 2024, by the civil judge (senior division) in Tamenglong, directing the formation of a commission to address the boundary dispute between the villagers of Old Tamenglong and Dailong.

A meeting was held at a tea plantation area in Tamenglong Khunjao (Old Tamenglong) around 11 am on Wednesday to discuss the long-standing land dispute in the area. Following the meeting, around 2,000 people marched to the offices of the district magistrate and superintendent of police at the Tamenglong district headquarters to submit a memorandum, an officer said.

However, tensions escalated when an “unidentified individual, allegedly from Dailong village, who was present at the Tamenglong district headquarters began pelting stones at the rally. Soon, the situation escalated and a violent clash broke out between two groups,” the officer added.

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Security forces stationed at the site fired multiple rounds of tear gas and mock bombs to disperse the mob and restore law and order.

The protesters reportedly set fire to the PWD inspection bungalow in Tamenglong, the officer said.

At least 14 villagers and 12 security personnel, including eight civil police officers, two Manipur Rifles personnel, and two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers sustained injuries.

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The district magistrate of Tamenglong imposed restrictions on gatherings, carrying weapons, and other activities that could cause disturbances under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, across Tamenglong and in the bordering areas of Dailong, Duigailong, and Old Tamenglong.

“The restriction order will be enforced with immediate effect and shall remain in force until further notice,” the officer said.