Farmers' stand-off near Manipur's ethnic buffer zone

Representative image (Photo: PTI)
GUWAHATI: Kuki and Meitei villagers clashed on Sunday along the boundary of Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts in Manipur after a standoff between farmers from both communities over ploughing rights at a foothill village.
Three to five people suffered minor injuries during the skirmish near Sadu Lampak, an area straddling an unofficial buffer between Meitei-majority Imphal valley and Kuki-Zo tribal hills. Security forces intervened.
According to Manipur police, a Meitei farmer from Leitanpokpi arrived with a tractor to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak, close to a Kuki-majority area. "Some nearby Kuki villagers came and objected, saying the paddy field did not belong to him.
Some Meitei villagers too reached the site," the police said in a statement.
Meitei farmers said they had obtained permission from authorities to cultivate the land, which had remained uncultivated since the ethnic unrest.
With the paddy sowing season approaching and violence subsiding under President's Rule since February, the farmers decided to return. Videos of Sunday's clash circulated widely online. Manipur police urged the public not to fall for rumours.
Over the past two years, several farmers have been killed while working in fields near volatile boundary zones. Ethnic violence since May 2023 has killed more than 250 and displaced over 60,000 people in the state.

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