As many as 10 police personnel including two senior officers were injured in clash with people triggered by the attempt of demarcation of land allotted for construction of permanent campus of the National Sports University in Manipur’s Imphal West district bordering Kangpokpi district on Monday.
The officers injured in the clash were Imphal West additional superintendent of police, Th Shankerdevan and deputy superintendent of police, Y Kishorechand of the commando unit of the district.
Along with other injured police personnel, the officers have been admitted at a hospital in Imphal where their conditions were stated to be critical but out of danger.
Reports said that a team of Imphal West district administration along with security forces went for demarcation of the land for the under construction of NSU campus on Monday, around 9 am. Apart from Imphal West and Kangpokpi district police, the security team included personnel of the 9th IRB and police commandos attached with Imphal West district.
When the team reached the spot, people who were already there opposed the proposed demarcation demanding that it should be done in the presence of representatives of Kangpokpi district administration, village leaders and civil society organisations.
Violent clashes broke out as the officials of the district administration backed by the large number of armed security personnel attempted to carry out the demarcation despite the strong opposition from the people. However, people who were on the higher land took the advantage to attack the demarcation team, injuring as many as 10 police security personnel including two senior officers. They started attacking the demarcation team with slingshots and stones which the security personnel retaliated by firing several rounds of tear gas shells and mock bombs.
There were reports of inflicting injuries to the protestors. But, the number of injured villagers could not be confirmed till the time of filing this report.
As the protestors continued to shower sling shots and stones, additional police force from Imphal West district headquarters rushed to the spot as reinforcement and took control of the situation. It was only after the reinforcement arrived and pushed away the protestors, the officials of the Manipur Settlement department accompanied the Imphal West district administration carried out the land demarcation around 11 am.
Today’s demarcation of the land allotted for construction of the permanent campus of NSU was done even as various organisations are demanding proper demarcation of the disputed site of the NSU.
There is controversy in the allotment of the land at the inter-district border of Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts as Kangpokpi based civil society organisations are claiming that a large portion of the allotted land is within the jurisdiction of the district.
NNN