New Delhi: Clashes break out ManipurProtests broke out in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district on Thursday night against MLA Nemcha Kipgen joining the BJP-led government as deputy chief minister.According to officials, protesters gathered near Tuibong Bazaar and burned a pile of discarded materials, including tires. They also raised slogans against Kipgen.The situation worsened when security forces tried to disperse the crowd. The protesters, who outnumbered the personnel deployed, began throwing stones. Security forces responded with batons. Officials said two people suffered minor injuries in the incident, news agency PTI reported.“The situation remains tense and additional troops have been urgently deployed to control the situation,” a senior official said.Tensions have been rising after Kipgen, who is from Kangpokpi, was sworn in as deputy chief minister on Wednesday night. Several groups on Friday called for a “total shutdown” in the Kuki-majority Churachandpur district.The BJP’s Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Wednesday was sworn in as chief minister of the restored NDA government in Manipur, with Kuki legislator Nemcha Kipgen and Naga MLA Losii Dikho as deputy, marking a new twist in shared governance in the multi-ethnic state divided by the Meitei-Kuki conflict.In May 2023, ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur. Presidential rule was imposed in the state in February last year following ongoing unrest.
