IMPHAL, Aug 11: Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells at hundreds of women in India's northeastern Manipur state on Wednesday as protesters marked the first month anniversary of the killing of a local woman by soldiers.

The killing of 30-year-old Thangjam Manorama, suspected to be a rebel, on the night of July 10 has triggered widespread demands for the repeal of a federal anti-terror law under which troops have wide-ranging powers.

The latest demonstrations on the streets of the state capital Imphal came after police used canes and tear gas to break up a torchlight march by hundreds of women late on Tuesday.

The protesters have said they would not accept less than the scrapping of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and would not settle for the withdrawal of a military force accused of Manorama's killing.

"The main focus of the movement is on the series of atrocities committed by soldiers over the years on innocent people," R.K. Anand, a leading local lawyer and human rights activist, said.

"To us it would not matter whether Assam Rifles is replaced by any other force," he said, referring to troopers accused of killing the suspected rebel. "All of them in the past have committed similar crimes under the act."

"Repeal the act," women shouted as several groups marched separately through the streets of Imphal. The protests were in violation of a ban on gatherings of people in the city.

In one area, scuffles broke out between protesters and police who tried to break up a march, leading to rubber bullets and tear gas shells being fired, witnesses said. Some women sustained minor injuries in the incident, they said.

Police said women had blocked many routes leading out of Imphal by burning tyres on highways, felling trees and squatting on the road. Hundreds of men and women also gathered outside Manorama's house and offered flowers to a photograph as a mark of tribute.

The armed forces say they need the act to fight separatists in a state racked by revolt. It is one of seven states in India's northeast bordered by China, Nepal and Myanmar. Many state lawmakers have supported the protesters and threatened to resign if the anti-terror law is not scrapped. -Reuters