In the early hours of Tuesday, personnel from the Army's 2 Mahar regiment intercepted two SUVs during a patrol in the Kumbi area of Manipur's Bishnupur district. The occupants of the vehicles fled, leaving behind their arms.
A group of Meitei women known as 'Meira Paibis' gathered at the spot and demanded that the weapons be handed over to them. They also demanded that no weapons be confiscated until the conflict, which broke out in May last year, is over.
Hundreds of women blocked the road and prevented the Army convoy from leaving the area. The Army fired in the air to disperse the mob, but it was unsuccessful.
State police forces rushed to the area after learning about the incident. It was then agreed that the Army would later hand the arms to the police.
Jaya Khagenbam, a leader of the protestors, said, "Confiscating weapons from village volunteers guarding a fringe area like Kumbi leaves us exposed to possible attacks by armed militants from adjacent hill areas of Churachandpur district."
"Security forces should remember that their inability to protect villages located at the periphery of the Valley led to the emergence of the village volunteers," she added.
The situation is now normal, and the Army personnel have withdrawn from the spot.