Manipur: 6 Cops Hurt among 9 Injured in Kangpokpi Eviction Drive

Imphal, Dec 7: Nearly a dozen people, including six police personnel were injured in a clash that took place during an eviction drive conducted at Kangchup Chiru Reserved Forest area in Manipur, reports said on Wednesday.

Official sources said the incident took place when the locals didn't heed to the direction given by the Government, the security personnel fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters at Kangchup Chiru Village around 10 am on Tuesday.

"The combined team of forest and police was met with resistance and had to react with the use of force to disperse the villagers," says the Divisional Forest Officer of Kangpokpi district in a press release on Tuesday. "Three forest guards and six police staff suffered serious injuries because of stone-pelting by the villagers."

The injured have been admitted to hospitals in critical condition.

The chief conservator of forests, as well as the SP and Additional SP of Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts, and the range forest officers of Kangpokpi Forest Division, took part in the drive.

According to official sources, the eviction drive was carried out by Kangpokpi Forest Division as part of the state government's effort to consolidate and demarcate the boundaries of the notified forests of the state.

A total of approximately 300 forest and police department staffs participated in the drive.

It may be mentioned that Kangchup Chiru Reserved Forest was notified as a reserved forest by order.

It was observed that the villagers living in the fringe of the Reserved forest have been encroaching into the Reserved forest in violation of the rules and acts as laid down by Indian Forest Act 1927,read with Manipur Forest Rules,2021 for protection and regulation of activities inside notified forest areas of the state.