Today, miscreants attacked a Manipur Police commando in the border town of Moreh, 110 km away from the state capital of Imphal, resulting in his death. According to government sources, miscreants and security forces have been exchanging gunfire since the morning.
The miscreants reportedly fired and threw bombs at a security post close to Moreh today. On the border between India and Myanmar, Moreh is a significant trading town.
According to the police, the miscreants also damaged multiple nearby parked cars with RPG shells fired at the temporary commando post.
Wangkhem Somorjit, an IRB employee affiliated with the state police commando in Moreh, was identified as the fallen commando. Malom, in the Imphal West district, is Somorjit’s hometown.
Following the arrest of two tribal members by the police on suspicion of participating in the death of a police officer, Kuki groups staged large-scale protests.
Armed miscreants can be seen in a video of the altercation pushing back a security truck as it attempts to enter Moreh.
Previously, on January 16, the Manipur government enforced a complete curfew starting at 12 am due to reports of a “likelihood of breach of peace, disturbance of public tranquillity and grave danger to human lives and property within the revenue jurisdiction of Tengnoupal”.
However, according to District Magistrate Tengnoupal’s order, “agencies of the government employed in the enforcement of law and order and maintenance of essential services” are exempt from the curfew.
Hemokholal Mate and Phillip Khongsai, the two primary suspects in the October 2017 murder of SDPO Ch Anand, had been taken into custody by the police. The police pursued and subdued the two after they opened fire on the security guards’ cars.
Civil organizations with a Moreh base, such as Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal, strongly objected to the arrest.
The Kuki tribes have requested that only central forces remain in Moreh and that the state police be removed. They claim the police have attacked civilians in Kuki. The attacks on the state police commandos were carried out by insurgents based in the hills, according to the Manipur Police, who denied the accusations.
Since May 3, 2023, there have been thousands of internal displacements and over 180 deaths in the Manipur violence.
