At least 10 people were injured on Thursday when Indian security forces used tear gas and batons to disperse demonstrators who were attempting to storm the residence of the chief minister of Manipur state by disobeying a curfew, a senior Indian police officer said.
A second police source described the situation as "extremely tense" after armed rioters attacked two police facilities and vandalized the office of the reigning political party on Wednesday.
A severe civil war between the two major local groups in the northeastern state bordering Myanmar has been sparked by ethnic violence, according to numerous security experts. The conflict is being waged over land, employment, and political influence.
A police official in Manipur said that neither N. Biren Singh nor any of his family members were in the home in the state capital Imphal at the time.
“The environment is unstable. We must use force to stop people from breaching curfew restrictions since they are doing so,” the officer added under the condition of anonymity.
After violence on Wednesday following protests against the suspected kidnapping and murder of two students left more than 80 students hurt, authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in Imphal and several regions of Manipur.
For the past five days, mobile internet services have been halted across the state.
Over 180 individuals have been slain and over 50,000 people have left their homes in Manipur since the unrest started on May 3.
The Meitei group makes up more than half of the 3.2 million people that live in the state, while the Kuki community, which makes up approximately 43% of the population, primarily resides in the hills.
The two students, whose bodies were found this week after they went missing in July, were from the Meitei community.
Families of the students and Meitei officials have blamed Kuki extremists for their deaths and lambasted the government for doing little to stop the bloodshed.
The chief minister, who is a member of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, condemned the alleged murder and promised the offenders the harshest penalties possible.
The Modi government has been accused by leaders of the opposition Congress party of failing to stop the violence in a state that is under the authority of his nationalist party. According to Modi's government, attempts are being made to bring about peace through discussion.