At least five individuals were injured in Manipur’s Churachandpur district during a clash between a mob and security forces. The incident occurred as protests erupted against Kuki-Zo community MLAs aligning with the BJP-led government. Demonstrators, primarily youths, gathered at Tuibong Bazaar, setting ablaze discarded materials and tires while expressing dissent against Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, a BJP MLA from the Kuki-Zo community.
The situation intensified when security forces from both central and state levels intervened to disperse the crowd. Initially outnumbering the security personnel, the mob engaged in heavy stone-pelting, leading the forces to conduct a baton charge to regain control. Additional security personnel were deployed in the affected areas to prevent further escalation, with at least five protesters sustaining minor injuries.
The district of Churachandpur has been tense since Kipgen, a Kuki-Zo community member from Kangpokpi district, virtually assumed the role of Deputy Chief Minister in New Delhi. Various Kuki-Zo organizations have called for a shutdown in Churachandpur district and announced plans for demonstrations in Kuki-Zo tribal-inhabited regions of other districts. Additionally, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), representing the tribal community, has imposed a social boycott on all Kuki-Zo MLAs involved in the Manipur government formation process.
