File photo for representation
NEW DELHI: Clashes broke out in Manipur’s Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district on Thursday evening after protests erupted against MLA Nemcha Kipgen joining the BJP-led government as deputy chief minister.According to officials, protesters gathered near Tuibong Bazaar and set fire to a heap of discarded materials, including tyres. They also raised slogans against Kipgen.The situation worsened when security forces tried to disperse the crowd. The protesters, who were larger in number than the personnel deployed, began pelting stones. Security forces responded with a baton charge. Two people suffered minor injuries in the incident, officials said, reported news agency PTI.A senior official said: “The situation remains tense, and additional forces have been rushed to bring it under control.”Tensions had been building since Wednesday evening after Kipgen, who is from Kangpokpi, took oath as deputy chief minister. Several groups had called for a “total shutdown” in the Kuki-majority Churachandpur district on Friday.Yumnam Khemchand Singh of BJP was sworn in Wednesday as the CM of Manipur’s reinstated NDA govt along with Kuki legislator Nemcha Kipgen and Naga MLA Losii Dikho as his deputies, marking a fresh spin on shared governance in a multi-ethnic state riven by the Meitei-Kuki conflict.Manipur saw ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023. Following continued unrest, President’s Rule was imposed in the state in February last year.