WATCH: Thousands across Manipur bang plates, beat drums in "noise protest"

Thousands of people across Manipur's five valley districts resorted to a new form of protest ("noise protest") against continued killings in the state, the prolonged ethnic conflict, and the government's failure to restore normalcy. The protesters Friday evening banged steel plates, kitchen utensils, beat drums, struck electric poles with hammers and honked vehicle horns to express their anger.

Tensions mounted at Kangla Fort in Imphal as several demonstrators tried to enter the complex and participate in the protest. The Police had to resort to firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

Located a few metres from Lok Bhavan and the chief minister’s secretariat, Kangla served as the seat of Manipur’s rulers until 1891 and remains one of the state’s most important historical and cultural landmarks.

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For nearly 30 minutes, the valley reverberated with deafening sounds as residents expressed their anger. The protest was called by a civil society organisation, Federation of Haomee, which urged people to protest making noise between 7:30 pm and 8 pm.

The assembly constituency of chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh also saw people join the protest.

Implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state, the identification of illegal immigrants and the abrogation of Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with armed groups were among the demands the protesters sought from the government. They also slammed the government for "failing" to resolve the ethnic conflict.

The protests comes amid the killing of three Meitei men in Kangpokpi district earlier this week.

The demonstration also saw lights being switched off across the capital, Imphal around 7.50 pm for nearly 10 minutes.