Manipur, August 04, 2023: A police armoury was ransacked by a mob belonging to the majority community and a large cache of weapons and ammunition, including AK and ‘Ghatak’ rifles, was looted in Bishnupur district of Manipur on Thursday, officials said. The mob had gathered at the 2nd India Reserve Battalion (IRB) headquarters at Naranseina to march towards Churachandpur where the tribals were planning to bury their dead in a mass ceremony following the ethnic violence that erupted in the state on May 3, they said.

The officials said that the mob broke into the armoury and took away more than 19,000 bullets of various calibres, an AK series rifle, three ‘Ghaatak’ rifles, 195 self-loading rifles, five MP-5 guns, 16 9mm pistols, 25 bulletproof jackets, 21 carbines, 124 hand grenades and other items. The mass burial programme by the tribals had triggered fresh unrest in the state with the majority community opposing it.

The Army and RAF personnel had to use tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and prevent them from reaching the burial site in Kangvai and Phougakchao areas in Bishnupur district on Thursday, officials said. More than 25 people were injured in the clashes. The majority community had also tried to loot two other armouries in Imphal but were stopped by the security forces.

The Manipur High Court had stayed the mass burial on Thursday morning after an extraordinary hearing, even though the Kuki community claimed that they had postponed it after talks with the Union home ministry.

The state has been witnessing violent clashes between the Meitei and the tribal communities since May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for ST status. More than 160 people have been killed and several hundred injured in the clashes.

The Meiteis constitute about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mainly in the Imphal Valley. The tribals- Nagas and Kukis, make up little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.