Imphal, Aug. 18: An indefinite curfew was imposed in Manipur's border township of Moreh this morning after clashes broke out between inner-line permit campaigners and a section of residents opposed to the rally.

The development came a day before the state cabinet's scheduled meeting tomorrow to fix a date for convening a special session of the Assembly to introduce a bill and pass it to safeguard the indigenous people of the state.

Official sources said trouble broke out this morning after some residents of Moreh (located 109km south of Imphal) opposed a rally taken out by ILP supporters, leading to stone pelting between the rallyists and those opposing it.

Unidentified persons fired several rounds amid the fracas. Some people were reported to have been injured in the stone pelting and were treated at the local hospital.

The curfew was clamped around 11am.

"The situation is tense but under control. Additional police forces, led by senior officers, have been rushed from neighbouring districts to bring the situation under control," an official source said.

A resident of Moreh said over phone that those opposing the rally damaged several parked vehicles and vandalised several shops.

"We are staying indoors. Police are not allowing anyone to come out of their houses. The situation is very tense," he said.

Official sources said government officials were trying to normalise the situation by talking to leaders of citizen's organisations in Moreh.

Leaders of Kuki Inpi Manipur, All Manipur United Clubs Organisation and United Committee Manipur will go to Moreh tomorrow to defuse the situation.

As agitations demanding ILP or a similar legislation continue unabated, the Okram Ibobi Singh government is working overtime to finalise the bill.

An official release said the government will in the bill include issue of permit for migrants, fix 1951 as the cut-off year to define people of Manipur (whose names are in the National Register of Citizenship, 1951) and set up a directorate of registration of visitors and tenants for regulation of their entry.

The government also intends to amend the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act to regulate land ownership right to non-Manipuris.

Police today picked up seven hunger strikers from two different places and produced them before magistrates, following which six ILP supporters continued protests at two other places. Sit-in and road blockades continued at various places in the four valley districts in support of ILP.

The Jiribam branch of the Joint Committee on ILP imposed a 48-hour "bandh" on Imphal-Jiribam highway (National Highway 37) from midnight tonight.

The leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, I. Ibohalbi Singh, said the Opposition was ready to support a bill that can safeguard the indigenous people of Manipur and which will be accepted by the people.