Mob Clashes With Security Forces In Manipur, Killing a Cop And Seizing Weapons

At least two security posts in Manipur’s Bishnupur district were stormed by mobs on Thursday, according to authorities, weapons and ammunition, including automatic weapons, were stolen.

Weapons and Ammunition ransacked

The second battalion of the Manipur Armed Police in the Bishnupur district was ransacked and its weapons were looted, according to the Manipur Police, by a mob made up of both men and women.

Security forces stopped the mob’s attempt to raid the police stations in Heingang and Singjamei for weapons and ammunition.

Armed assailants and security personnel engaged in gunfire in the Koutruk, Haraothel, and Senjam Chirang districts, according to an official statement. Two persons were hurt in the crossfire, one of them was a security guard.

Open fire by the terrorists

A Manipur police officer was slain in Senjam Chirang in Imphal West after being shot in the head by a sniper. Suspected terrorists from the adjacent hill ranges opened fire in Koutruk and Senjam Chirang, injuring a local volunteer as well.

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500–600 people gathered in a sizable gathering at Phougakchao Ikhai, which is the border between Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts. About 25 persons suffered minor injuries as a result of the security forces’ use of tear gas to disperse the throng.

The police statement continued, “Over the past 24 hours, the situation in the state has remained volatile and tense with sporadic incidents of firing and gathering of unruly mobs in various places.”

Both the hill and valley areas of Manipur had 129 checkpoints set up. According to the police, 1,047 persons have been detained in relation to infractions in various state districts.

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Due to the Meitei’s demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) designation, there have been ethnic tensions between the Kuki and Meitei groups in the northeastern state. In addition to displacing thousands of people, the violence has taken hundreds of lives.