7 injured over land dispute in Manipur

Atleast seven persons including a police officer Sunday were injured in a clash over land dispute at Uchiwa Khelakhong village in Imphal West district.
Among the injured, four including the police officer, who is the OC in-charge of Mayang Imphal police station of the district sustained bullet injuries allegedly fired by a group of the two quarreling villagers, police source said. Three villagers also sustained injury when the clash erupted after the firing.
The four have been rushed to RIMS hospital where their conditions were stated to be out of danger. They were hit by splinters of double bore gun, hospital source added.
The injured police officer has been identified as Sachinanda Soibam, an MPS office who is looking after the charge of the Mayang Imphal Police station on probation duty.
The incident took place around 12.30 pm Sunday when a police team from Mayang Imphal police station rushed to Uchiwa Khelakhong on hearing the news that there was a tension over the land dispute between two villages at Uchiwa.
Tension surfaced when a group of neighbouring villagers of Uchiwa Khelakhong raised objection to the villagers of Ikopat, who were erecting fencing at the periphery of a local deity.
The group of villagers, who were objecting to the fencing claimed that the land lies within the boundary of their village and demanded immediate stoppage of the fencing.
Following, which a heated exchange of words between the two groups, sources said.
The other group of villagers also claimed that the land has been reserved as site for the local deity by their forefather and within their village.
To ease the prevailing high tension at the village, a team of Mayang Imphal police led by the OC in-charge rushed to the spot.
However, as soon as the police team reached the spot, one of the groups fired few rounds of guns, injuring police officer and four other villagers, the report said.
With tension running high in the area, armed police personnel have been detailed in the area, police source added.