Khumujamba in Manipur's Churachandpur is now an empty ground after buildings were razed
A group of people who tried to forcibly occupy a flattened residential area in Manipur's Kuki-dominated hill district Churachandpur were stopped by the police before matters escalated, sources said on Saturday.
Khumujamba, where many from the valley-dominant Meitei community lived, has remained a disputed, empty ground since last year after armed Kuki groups who call themselves "village defence volunteers" bulldozed all the houses.
The police said 24 people were detained and later released after they signed personal recognisance (PR) bonds, which under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) makes it a must for the accused to attend court or visit the police station whenever summoned, failing which action would be taken.
"After receiving a report in the evening today that some market vendors had gathered at Khumujamba area of Churachandpur district, immediately a police team rushed to the spot and cleared the area. The area is completely vacant as of now. 24 people were detained and released on PR bond later," the police said in a post on X.
"A static police team is stationed at Khumujamba to prevent any untoward incident. The police will secure the area from illegal activities and encroachment as per Supreme Court guidelines," the police said, referring to the Supreme Court's order on September 25, 2023 which ordered the state government to protect the properties of internally displaced people and religious buildings.
The ethnic violence that broke out on May 3, 2023 between the Meiteis and the hill-dominant Kuki-Zo tribes had led to massive destruction of properties in both the state capital Imphal valley and hill areas. Even after the security forces had taken control of sensitive areas, armed groups allegedly continued to loot and destroy properties.
Some members of the Meitei community from Churachandpur who are living in relief camps in the valley alleged armed groups in Churachandpur have been sending their "volunteers" to flatten the entire locality and erase all trace of the place having been an area where members of the Meitei community lived.
Sources said the group of people who came to the site on Saturday brought with them daily items to sell, which indicated they wanted to convert the former residential area into a crowded marketplace, despite knowing their actions could ethnic tensions.
Some Meiteis from Churachandpur who are living in relief camps in the valley have alleged armed groups have been sending their "volunteers" to flatten their entire locality (File)
Kuki-Zo groups have also for long been alleging that the state government led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh of the BJP, who belongs to the Meitei community, has done nothing to stop miscreants in the valley areas from looting and destroying properties of the tribes.
At present, the Meiteis are living in the valley, while the Kuki-Zo tribes are in the hills - with both not going to areas where each community is dominant.
The Supreme Court on May 24 had said it cannot go by sentiments and has to act as per law while scrapping a petition seeking contempt action against the Manipur Chief Secretary for allegedly not protecting the properties of internally displaced people.
Over 220 have died and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced in Manipur. Most of them are still living in relief camps.