Curfew imposed in Manipur to quell violence

GUWAHATI (Reuters) - Authorities in Manipur imposed an indefinite curfew in capital Imphal on Wednesday to stop continuing clashes over the death of a local youth.

Angry residents burnt tyres, blocked roads and clashed with security forces this week after a news website released photographs of police commandos taking a youth, a former rebel, inside a medical store and bringing out his body.

One woman was killed and five others wounded in that shootout on July 23, which police said was caused by indiscriminate firing by the youth.

"An indefinite curfew has been imposed in Imphal", Babloo Laithangbam, a prominent human rights activist in Imphal, told Reuters by telephone on Wednesday.

Police fired tear gas shells and burst smoke bombs to disperse protestors, as witnesses said they heard sounds of firing and blasts since early morning.

"Pictures taken by an unknown photographer showed that the youth identified as Sanjit had no weapons on him when commandos caught him," Anita, a leader spearheading the campaign for justice said.

Opposition political parties and locals have demanded the resignation of chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

Manipur, a state with a little more than two million people, has suffered separatist and tribal insurgencies for the past 60 years in the restive northeast region, as militant groups accuse New Delhi of plundering the region's mineral and forest resources but investing little in return.