Imphal (Manipur)

Protesters clashed with security forces in Manipur's Imphal East district on Tuesday during a demonstration against the relocation of a camp of the UNLF(P), a militant outfit that signed a peace agreement with the Centre in 2023, officials said.

Residents of Uyumpok and adjoining areas in the Khundrakpam assembly constituency staged a road blockade, raising slogans against the government's decision to shift the UNLF(P) camp from Nongshum, arguing that it acted as a security buffer for the valley villages bordering the hill areas.

Security forces deployed to facilitate the relocation fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the protesters, officials said.

The camp, established after the outbreak of the ethnic violence in Manipur in 2023, is located around 2.5 km from Uyumpok, where the demonstration was happening.

"We have been living peacefully and without fear of attacks by militants from the hills since the camp was established. If it is shifted, who will ensure our safety? Its presence has prevented armed militants from entering this side of the valley," Mangaleima Devi, a protester, said.

The UNLF (P) signed a peace agreement with the Centre in November 2023, becoming the first valley-based insurgent group to enter into a formal truce with the government.

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However, despite the peace pact, several cadres of the outfit have been arrested in recent months in connection with alleged unlawful activities, including extortion, illegal possession of arms and the sale of weapons, officials said.