Manipur has been wracked by ethnic violence since May, and security forces were trying to stop the crowd of people from the majority Meitei ethnic group from entering a village of the minority Kuki community, a police spokesperson said.

Another police official said a few paramilitary troops were also injured in the clash, which occurred a day before the start of the Group of 20 summit that India is hosting in the capital New Delhi, some 2,500 km (1,553 miles) away.

Groups of gunmen also exchanged fire with security forces in other areas of the state, the police officials said, but it was not clear if this incident was linked to the ethnic violence.

At least 180 people have been killed, and thousands more displaced, since the Meitei and Kuki communities started fighting over the sharing of economic benefits and quotas.

(Writing by Sakshi Dayal; editing by Miral Fahmy)