Scores of protesters clashed with police personnel outside the venue of the Sangai Festival in Manipur’s capital Imphal on Thursday, a day before the tourism event was scheduled to begin.
The protesters, comprising internally displaced persons and members of some non-profit organisations, tried to storm the festival venue as they felt the State was yet to recover from the scars of the ethnic violence that broke out on May 3, 2023.
Security personnel restored order by firing tear gas shells and wielding batons.
The protesters said the authorities should first resolve the ethnic conflict and resettle the internally displaced persons before organising “extravagant” festivals.
More than 260 people died, and some 62,000 others were displaced in the conflict between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei communities in Manipur.
