Imphal : As many as 50 people mostly women sustained injuries in a stampede that was triggered by firing tear gas shells and mock bombs from the police and security forces who tried to disperse thousands of protesters at Kwakta in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Wednesday.

At least 10 people including a cameraman of an international news agency were also injured in the security actions, the hospital sources said. Thousands of people coming from different places in the valley district of Manipur stormed the barricaded area of the central forces at Phougakchai Ikhai at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

The protesters led by the president of the COCO, Jeetendra Ningolbam broke down the curfew imposed by the state government and extended support to the Co-ordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) which announced knocking down the barricade set up by the Army at Phougakchao Ikhai.

To disperse the gatherings, the police and security forces opened tear gas cells causing injuries to over 50 persons due to stampedes, fainting, and being hit by the splinters of mock bombs and tear gas shells.The injured were rushed to the Bishnpur district hospitals and some of the persons who sustained serious injuries were later shifted to the hospitals in Imphal.

Earlier, an intense scuffle erupted between the police and the protestors at Kwakta, resorting to firing tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the agitators. Despite the action, the protestors continued heading towards the barricade.