At least 30 hurt in inter-village clash
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 28 2023: At least 30 people were injured in a violent confrontation that broke out between Konsakhul (Konsaram) and Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district.

Taking serious note of the tense and volatile situation, the State Government has imposed restrictions under CrPC Section 144 around the two villages.

A team of officials led by Additional DGP L Kailun and Kangpokpi DC Kengoo Zuringla went to the spot and tried their best to pacify both the parties.

According to information culled from the spot, around 30/40 villagers of Konsakhul were moving toward Leilon Vaiphei village at around 7 am today.

But they were confronted by the villagers of Leilon Vaiphei and soon the two groups were engaged in a tense standoff.

In the next moment, the two sides exchanged blows and pelted stones at each other.

At least 30 hurt in inter-village clash

A team of Leimakhong police station came to the scene and tried to control the situation.

Even though the Konsakhul villagers went back, they came again and it resulted in a fresh confrontation and clash.

Even as police tried to control the situation, the situation only grew worse.

As such, they fired several rounds of tear gas shells before finally bringing the situation under control.

Later a team of high ranking Government officials led by Additional DGP L Kailun, IGP Nishit Kumar Ujjwal, IGP Themthing Ngasangva, Kangpokpi DC Kengoo Zuringla, Kangpokpi SP Th Vikramjit and Imphal West SP Dr S Ibomcha arrived at the spot.

The officials talked with both the parties separately and tried to pacify them.

They appealed to the people of both the villages to avoid conflicts but maintain peace and harmony.

The officials informed both Konsakhul and Leilon Vaiphei villagers that the Kangpokpi DC would summon them both in the next couple of days to work out a settlement.

Konsakhul Village Authority chairman D Adam Liangmai told media persons that the area where Leilon Vaiphei village stands today belongs to them and it was known as Nungyungbi.

After an agreement was signed in 1920, Leilon Village was set up at Nungyungbi, he said.

"We are not asking them to leave the area but the Leilon villagers have been rearing Mithun in Tagiu stream thereby polluting the stream's water", Adam Liangmai said.

Tagiu stream is the principal source of water for Konsakhul.

By polluting the stream, Leilon villagers sowed seeds of the conflict, he said.

As Tagiu stream drains into Singda Dam, its water is used by not only by Konsakhul villagers but also in the Imphal valley.

Conflict erupted between the two villages after Leilon villagers started rearing Mithun in Tagiu stream which originates from Kounu hills and ignited extensive forest fires, Adam Liangmai said.

Konsakhul villagers too rear Mithun and there is a committee of all the neighbouring villages which rear Mithun.

Rearing of Mithun is done after fencing off certain areas, he said.

From 2020 onward, the Konsakhul Village Authority wrote repeatedly to the committee and the Leilon Vaiphei village to shift the fence put up for rearing Mithun beyond Tagiu stream, he continued.

As the committee and the Leilon Vaiphei village did not pay any heed, Konsakhul villagers dismantled the fence twice this month, the last one was on March 25, Adam Liangmai said.

Two villagers of Konsakhul namely; Ch Rocky (34) s/o late Achun and Lungenbou (46) s/o Dirangbou who went to hire an excavator on a two-wheeler (Yamaha Fascino) were intercepted by Leilon villagers on Sunday.

Together with Ch Rocky and Lungenbou, the excavator's owner cum operator Thoudam Edal (46) s/o Ganga of Kakwa Nameirakpam Leikai were taken hostage by the Leilon villagers, he said.

The two Konsakhul villagers were handed over to police yesterday only after they were beaten mercilessly.

In the meantime, it was learnt that the Yamaha Fascimo had been set ablaze.

While Ch Rocky and Lungenbou were again allegedly thrashed at Leimakhong police station, it remains a big question as to why those people who assaulted them and set their scooter ablaze have not been arrested yet, the Konsakhul Village Authority chairman said.

Enraged by all these incidents, a group of Konsakhul villagers went to Leilon village this morning to talk about the matter as per customary law.

However, instead of responding to the Konsakhul's initiative for dialogue, all the people of Leilon village came out, attacked and sent back the Konsakhul villagers, he alleged.

"Leimakhong police came to the spot only after we had come back from Leilon.

As we went to the police to air our grievances, we were again attacked by Leilon villagers", he alleged.

He said that around 20 Konsakhul villagers were injured in the two attacks and 18 of them were taken away by police.

Adam Liangmai said that five of his villagers sustained critical injuries.

On the other hand, Leilon village elder Thangkholian Vaiphei said that the Shandang Committee recently invited both Konsakhul and Leilon to a meeting on the matter of putting up a fence for rearing Mithun (Shandang) .

As Konsakhul villagers did not turn up, the fence was constructed using steel and concrete along the original alignment/position, Thangkholian said.

He said that the matter became a big issue after Konsakhul villagers dismantled the fence repeatedly.

He claimed that the two villagers of Konsakhul were rounded up by womenfolk on Sunday night after they failed to comply with the villagers' demand to stop.

The two Konsakhul villagers were kept at the village community hall and they were guarded by Leilon villagers before they were handed over to police.

Leilon villagers did not beat them, Thangkholian said.

A group of Konsakhul villagers came this morning and attacked Leilon villagers by pelting stones at many houses including that of Leilon Khullakpa Khupneilun Vaiphei.

They were sent back by a team of Leimakhong police but they came again and it resulted in a violent confrontation, he said.

Maintaining that Leilon Vaiphei village never blocked the road leading to Konsakhul, Thangkholian said that around 10 villagers of Leilon sustained injuries in today's clash.

Following the incident, police personnel have been deployed around the two villages so as to avert any further violent confrontation.