“We heard unconfirmed reports that central forces stationed at Uyok hills will be moved. So, we are camping here to plead with CRPF and BSF not to succumb to the pressure from the Kuki groups,” Mangi Leima, one of the demonstrators said.If the forces are withdrawn from there, armed miscreants will again attack the villages, Leima claimed.Gunfights broke out last month between suspected tribal militants and security forces after armed men from their position at the periphery of Saibol village fired towards low-lying villages of Thamnapokpi and Sanasabi injuring four people including a policeman.Following the gun attack, central forces moved into Saibol village dismantling illegal bunkers.Manipur has been in the grip of ethnic clashes between Kuki and Meitei communities since May 2023, which left more than 250 people dead and thousands homeless.
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