Imphal: One person died and several sustained injuries after violence erupted between members of two communities in Manipur’s Thoubal district, police said on Monday.
The clashes occurred in Khangabok and Sangaiyumpham villages on Sunday night, leaving some houses and vehicles damaged by fire. The district administration subsequently ordered residents in both localities to remain within their homes as a precautionary measure, PTI reported.
According to the police, the trouble started when some individuals allegedly hurled stones towards a ground in Khangabok, located under the Thoubal police station and roughly 25 km from Imphal, while a musical concert was being held there.
The stone-throwing soon triggered retaliatory violence, with people from the two communities exchanging stones in Khangabok and Sangaiyumpham. During the confrontation, a few houses and vehicles were set ablaze.
Police said unidentified persons fired gunshots during the disturbance. One man, later identified as Laishram Rakesh, suffered a bullet injury to his head and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors could not save him.
Several other people were also taken to hospital after receiving minor injuries from stones, police added.
Security was intensified in the affected villages, with additional personnel from state and central forces deployed overnight. By Monday morning, officers said the situation had been brought under control.
The Thoubal district magistrate had issued the restrictions late on Sunday, stating: “There is likelihood of breach of peace, disturbance of public tranquillity, and imminent danger to human life and properties…because of the unlawful activities of some antisocial elements.”
Under the order, issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), residents of Khangabok and Sangaiyumpham were directed not to step out of their homes from 11 pm on Sunday.
The provision allows authorities to impose temporary restrictions to deal with urgent threats to public order, though the administration did not announce when the curbs would be withdrawn.