Guwahati: Protests over the killing of three Meitei firewood collectors and fresh arson in a Kuki village fuelled tensions across Manipur on Wednesday, with police firing teargas shells at demonstrators in Imphal and several houses allegedly torched by Naga militants in Kamjong district.At least three protesters were injured when police fired teargas shells as a large group of women tried to storm Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, where chief minister Y Khemchand Singh and home minister Govindas Konthoujam were attending the 1st Manipur State Poomsae Taekwondo Championship.The protesters questioned the leaders’ decision to attend a sports event while the state remained in the grip of a crisis, with people continuing to die. They expressed particular anger over the killing of three Meitei firewood collectors, who were shot dead in Kangpokpi district on Monday morning.Police also fired teargas shells at Khurai to disperse demonstrators supporting the 48-hour bandh called by the Native People Committee Manipur (NPCM) to protest the killings.Meanwhile, the Kuki CSO Working Committee alleged that NSCN-IM and its allied groups had set fire to several houses in Khoikai village in Kamjong district. It sought reinforcements, action against those who planned and financed the attack, and emergency relief for the displaced.No casualties were reported in the arson. A joint column of Assam Rifles, BSF and Kamjong Police was deployed in the area. Deputy chief minister Nemcha Kipgen condemned the incident, calling it an “intolerable crime”.The Chingdai Area Core Committee, a Kuki citizens’ group, opposed the arrest of three Kuki-Zo individuals in connection with Monday’s killings. Police said the three were active cadres of the Kuki National Front (N) and had allegedly carried out the killings.The committee described the police statement as “misleading” and demanded the trio’s immediate and unconditional release. It maintained that they had no links to militant groups and accused the police of making “innocents into criminals”.The KNF(N), which is outside the Suspension of Operations (SoO) framework, also issued a statement denying involvement in incidents linked to the Meitei-Kuki or Kuki-Naga conflicts. It further denied any affiliation with the Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers.
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