CHANDEL, April 1: At least 18 villagers including seven women were injured in a scuffle broke out between villagers of Lambung and Mantri Pantha village over land dispute in Chandel District Headquarters this morning around 7.
According to reliable source, the scuffle broke out when some villagers of Lambung village went to dismantle the encroached structures constructed by the Mantri Pantha villagers.
When the villagers of Lambung started dismantling the encroached structures including the fencing and pig sty, villagers of Mantri Pantha raised alarm by hitting electric poles and a scuffle ensued thereafter.
In the melee, 18 villagers, (four women, six men from Mantri Pantha and three women and five men from Lambung) got injured.
Out of the injured persons, four villagers from Mantri Pantha including a woman suffered critical injuries on their heads after they were hit by machete and crowbar.
Following the altercation, an enraged mob from Lambung village blocked the bridge built over the Chakpi River near Lambung and prohibited movement of Mantri Pantha villagers, the source said.
On receiving information about the incident, police personnel rushed to the spot to control the situation.
The critically injured villagers of Mantri Pantha have been identified as D. Mohonsing, 55; D. Thamsamon, 47, SS. Shelhorhring, 26 and KT. Peitoi, 24.
They were shifted to Shija Hospital, Imphal after providing first aid treatment at Jeevan Hospital, Kakching.
Meanwhile, District Administration Chandel has clamped prohibitory order under CrPC Section 144 to prevent occurrence of further untoward incident with effect from today`s 2 pm till 2 pm of April 3.
Several Lamkang civil bodies namely Lamkang Naga Kver Kunpun (LNKK); Lamkang Naga Sunu Lop (LNSL) and Lamkang Kurchuknao Kunpun (LKK) have condemned the clash.
A joint press statement of the civil bodies appealed to the villagers of Lambung and Mantri Pantha not to make the incident communal and instead settle it amicably.
It stated that on receiving information about the incident a peace mission of Lamkang Civil bodies went to visit the victims but the team was not allowed to proceed by the mob at Lambung Bridge.
Moreover, the injured villagers of Mantri Pantha were also not allowed to pass through the bridge by the mob, the statement said.
First of all, the structure (fencing and pigsty) of a household that Lambung villagers were dismantling is NOT an encroached land. It has stood there for 25 plus years and falls inside Mantri Pantha village. More than 150 plus Lambung villagers armed with knives/daos, sword and other sharp objects have gone to Mantri Pantha village with a premeditated plan to attack them. On the other hand, Mantri Pantha villagers had only tried to stop them vandalising the property but in the process, they were attacked with knives and crowbar and were critically injured.