On 6 September 2023, police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets toward thousands of people who attempted to overrun several police barricades in the town of Phougakchao Ikhai in the Bishnupur district of the northeastern Manipur state. According to local officials, the clashes broke out when thousands of protesters defied a curfew order by marching toward a barricade that separated the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district and Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district. At least 25 demonstrators were injured in the event. Communal clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities have been ongoing in Manipur since May 2023.