A group of bikers and locals clashed after an altercation over dangerous driving and noise at a village of the Kuki tribe in Manipur's Ukhrul district, the police said. They have asked the public not to believe in rumours that gave a communal colour to the group fight.
A group of young men from the Muslim community had gone to a waterfall in Ukhrul district on their bikes on Tuesday. While returning to Imphal valley, they stopped at a shop in Shangkai village, where some locals turned up to check on them, the police said.
A misunderstanding partly due to language barrier led to the villagers attacking the bikers, the police said.
It was not a communal incident, the police said after some people on social media tried to portray it that way. A police team rushed to the area immediately on getting information about the incident. Both groups then held talks in the presence of a senior police officer and agreed to move on, the police said.
"The incident happened due to sudden provocation and misunderstanding between the bikers and the villagers. It was spontaneous in nature and not communal," the Manipur Police said.
While the situation was brought under control, the police said they would keep a close eye in the area.
Altaf Hussain - a Meitei Pangal (Muslim Meitei) and one of the bikers in a group of 32 men on 16 bikes who went to the waterfall - told reporters the villagers attacked them at 6.30 pm while they were returning from the main town in Ukhrul.
He said the group organised the bike ride to encourage the formation of a 'Muslim Riders Club', engage young people in positive and constructive activities, and distance them from drugs.
He said some of the fast bikers stopped at the village to wait for the rest when some villagers came to ask about their identities and destination. The situation soon escalated when both sides started raising their voice.
Manipur has seen ethnic clashes between the valley's Meitei community and the Kuki tribes. Kuki organisations that work closely with armed groups in talks with the Centre have said there is no free movement for Meiteis.
Meiteis who want to pass by Kuki areas can do so at their own risk, Kuki organisations have said.
