Protests erupted in Manipur's Kangpokpi district after the mutilated bodies of two missing youths were recovered from neighbouring Senapati district, triggering clashes between agitators and security forces, police said on Monday.
Security personnel fired tear gas shells and resorted to a baton-charge to disperse protesters who pelted them with stones during demonstrations on Sunday night.
A protester sustained a head injury after allegedly being hit by a tear gas shell. His condition is stable, officials said.
Agitators also burnt tyres and blocked several roads with logs and boulders. Police have since cleared some of the blocked stretches.
"Tension remains high in the district and additional security forces have been deployed on Monday morning," a district official said.
The bodies of T Chongloi (21) and Paoginlal Hangsing (20), who went missing from Taphou Kuki village on October 29, were found stuffed in gunny bags in a banana farm in a hilly area of Senapati district on Sunday morning. The recovery was made during a search operation to trace the missing youths, officials said.
Deputy Chief Ministers Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho condemned the killings. Kipgen said what had begun with hopes of the youths' safe return had ended in tragedy, and called for a thorough investigation and the prosecution of those responsible.
Dikho also condemned the killings, saying no grievance or disagreement could justify taking a human life.
Meanwhile, the Naga Peoples' Organisation (NPO) questioned the circumstances surrounding the recovery of the bodies and called for an impartial and independent investigation.
"We condemn any killing, but we also equally condemn any manipulation of evidence or deliberate attempt to inflame communal tensions," NPO president Kuba Peter told reporters, demanding accountability and steps to prevent further communal tensions.
The Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), meanwhile, demanded Dikho's resignation over the incident. It also sought the transfer of Taphou Kuki village from the jurisdiction of the Senapati superintendent of police to the Kangpokpi SP.
The committee said the bodies would not be taken to the village for the final rites until the perpetrators were arrested.
Joint teams of Manipur Police, CRPF and Assam Rifles had been conducting search operations along the Kangpokpi-Senapati boundary. In a statement, police said an extensive search was also carried out by teams comprising the state police, CoBRA, CRPF, Assam Rifles and Rapid Action Force in the general area east of National Highway 2, along the SP Road.
On Saturday, three members of the Kuki community were killed in a gunfight between rival armed groups in Noney district. Their bodies reached Churachandpur district on Sunday night, police said.
More than 50 people have been killed and dozens of houses burnt across Tamenglong, Noney, Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts since ethnic clashes between Kuki and Naga communities broke out in February this year.
Manipur had earlier witnessed large-scale ethnic violence between the Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hill-based Kukis, leaving over 300 people dead, 49 missing and thousands homeless.
(With inputs from PTI)