IMPHAL: According to an official statement, inhabitants of a village in Manipur's Kangpokpi district attacked three forest guards and six police officers on Tuesday during an eviction effort there by throwing stones at them.
The drive, which involved 300 police officers and members of the forest department, was conducted in the village of Kangchup Chiru to "demarcate the boundary of notified forest (region) of the state," according to the statement.
According to an official, some villagers also sustained injuries, and the injured members of the military have been admitted to hospitals.
According to a statement made by Kangpokpi Divisional Forest Officer N Ganesh, "eviction notices were provided to encroachers to remove all constructions erected inside the reserve forest," adding that they were given time to do so.
The alleged encroachers allegedly disregarded the notices, according to the statement.
The department carried out the eviction effort after noticing "new encroachment," but was "faced with resistance," which led the law enforcement to use force.
According to reports, the DFO Kangpokpi issued a notification to remove the dwellings on November 2.
The president of the Kangchup Chiru Youth Club, J. Thonsing, on the other hand, asserted that it was regrettable that the government had not informed them in advance about the eviction drive.
He continued by saying that the village council has been pleading with the state government to conduct a demarcation exercise there in front of the residents.
He claimed that the villagers protested the eviction drive as the two houses were forcibly torn down, and he accused the State police of using force to disperse the protesters, including firing smoke bombs and tear gas shells.
Three of the injured locals are receiving care at RIMS, according to him, making a total of at least eight Kangchup Chiru residents injured in the incident.
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