Mob storms Assam Rifles camp in Manipur’s Kamjong

A mob on Saturday stormed and destroyed a makeshift camp of the Assam Rifles in Manipur's Kamjong district over alleged harassment and restrictions on transportation of timber, officials said.

The members of the group that attacked the camp in Hongbei area belonged to Kasom Khullen block of the Naga majority district.

Tensions escalated on Saturday when the Assam Rifles jawans allegedly barred transportation of timber intended for construction of houses in Kasom Khullen, officials said.

Assam Rifles personnel used tear gas shells and fired into the air to disperse the protesters, they said. The mob later destroyed the makeshift camp of the paramilitary force and demanded that they be removed from the area. No casualty was reported in the melee.

The Assam Rifles is one of the central forces deployed in various parts of Manipur. The state has been in the grip of ethnic violence between Kukis and Meiteis, with over 250 persons having been killed and thousands rendered homeless since May 2023.