Manipur Turmoil: Policeman's Protest and Ethnic Violence Escalate

A Manipur policeman has been arrested for allegedly participating in a protest, during which he attacked security personnel with stones in Imphal East district, police reported on Wednesday. Another individual was detained for similar charges.

The two suspects were reportedly causing unrest at Koirengei crossing, NH-02 in Imphal East district by setting debris alight on the road and targeting security forces with slingshots and stones, according to a statement by Manipur Police on X. The involved policeman, identified as Thoudam Gojendro Singh, had joined protests organized by various groups condemning the April 7 bomb attack suspected to be carried out by militants in Bishnupur district. The tragic incident claimed the lives of two young siblings while they were asleep and injured their mother.

Amid these tensions, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh has taken the step of transferring the investigation to the NIA. The state has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 2023, resulting in at least 260 fatalities and thousands left without homes, primarily affecting the Meiteis of the valley and the hill-dwelling Kukis.