Kuki-Zo people clash with security personnel during protest march in Manipur''s Kangpokpi

Imphal, Jun 30 (PTI) More than 500 people, belonging to the Kuki-Zo community, clashed with security personnel during a protest march in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, demanding withdrawal of blockades and restoration of supplies of essential items, police said. The agitators wanted to proceed towards Kanglatongbi in Imphal West district, where a blockade was held allegedly by Naga groups, but they were stopped at Gamgiphai in Kangpokpi. "The clash broke out when the Kuki-Zo protesters were stopped. Security personnel had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob," a senior officer said. The Kuki-Zo protesters were stopped as the Naga people in and around Kanglatongbi assembled in the area, raising concerns over a possible face-to-face confrontation between the two groups, he said. The protest march came a day after the Kangpokpi district Committee on Tribal Unity's 48-hour ultimatum to remove unauthorised checkpoints on national highways had expired. CoTU alleged that the authorities had failed to ensure the resumption of free movement of essential commodities, including medical supplies, along National Highway-2 within the stipulated period. PTI CORR BDC