Correspondent
A police officer was injured in a clash with a group of protesters who blocked Imphal-Moreh section of NH-102 in Manipur’s Kakching district on Thursday.
The additional SP of Kakching district was immediately rushed to hospital with head injuries. He was out of danger, reports said.
A group of villagers blocked the Imphal-Moreh national highway at Sora area on Thursday morning in protest against the government’s attempt to conduct land survey for construction of a Mega Food Park at Yaithibi Loukol.
Officials of the state survey department along with a large contingent of armed police on Thursday went to the Yaithibi Loukol to conduct the survey which was pending following strong objection from the villagers.
When the survey was about to begin, a large number of villagers came forward and raised strong objections.
They clashed with the police who blocked them from entering the area. In their bid to take control of the situation, the police resorted to firing tear gas shells and mock bombs.
When the protesters returned with stones and catapults, the additional SP of Kakching district police sustained minor head injuries. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital.
Irate over the attempt to continue the survey despite their strong objection, the villagers took to the road along the highway and imposed a snap blockade.
They blocked the highway by catching fire on the road and piling stones and stretching logs and bamboo, following which hundreds of vehicles were stranded midway.
The police again resorted to firing tear gas shells and mock bombs. However, the highway remained blocked for the day as the protesters came out repeatedly even after police quelled them.
There were no reports of injuring protesters in the police action till the time of filing this report. However, tensions were brewing up among the protesters.
Today’s incident was not the first time the villagers agitated in the government’s attempt to conduct the land survey. They have been protesting against government’ plan while demanding return of the land claiming that they gave up the land for the purpose of construction of a permanent campus of the National Sports University.
Villagers whose paddy fields would be affected have been objecting to the development of a Mega Food Park project at Yaithibi Loukol, the vast paddy fields which were already acquired by the state government for the purpose of the National Sports University.
The lands were acquired by the government for construction of the permanent campus of the National Sports University. However, it was later shifted to Imphal West district.
After the government shifted the location, the villagers, particularly land owners, have been demanding return of the land to them.
However, instead of heeding to their demand, the state government has been trying to construct a mega food park in the already acquired land.
