Additional central forces were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.A large number of protesters started gathering in front of the SP’s office since the afternoon demanding that central forces be removed from the village, the official added.Last week, security forces had conducted operations at the village and its peripheral areas following gunfights between groups that led to injuries to four people including a police personnel.Following the operations, Kangpokpi district based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) imposed indefinite economic blockade along the critical transportation route of National Highway 2 (Imphal to Dimapur).COTU also observed a 24-hour shutdown in the district on Friday.On the December 31 incident at Saibol, Manipur police had said that security forces resorted to firing of tear gas shells after a group of women attempted to block the movement of a combined team of state and central forces.More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur since May 2023.Chief Minister N Biren Singh, had on December 31, apologised for the ethnic conflict in the country and appealed to all communities to “forget and forgive past mistakes and live together in a peaceful and prosperous state.”
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