Several police commandoes were reportedly injured on Tuesday evening after being ambushed by suspected insurgents. The development came mere hours after Moreh SDPO Chingtham Anand who was killed in an ambush by tribal militants in Tengnoupal district. Officials had then launched an operation in the area to apprehend the miscreants.
A Hindustan Times report quoting people familiar with the matter said that three Manipur Police officials had been injured after the ambush at Sinam village. The incident took place around 3 pm today as the officials were en route to Moreh. They had been sent to the border town as reinforcement after Anand was shot dead.
The Manipur Cabinet had held an emergency meeting on Tuesday morning and decided to instruct security forces "to launch a joint operation in Moreh and its adjoining areas to arrest the culprits responsible for the crime". The N Biren Singh-led government also noted that operations had since begun and “additional state forces have been detailed from Imphal for the purpose”.
Moreh SDPO Chingtham Anand was injured on Tuesday morning after insurgents fired at police officials inspecting a newly constructed helipad. Police officials told PTI that Anand had succumbed to his injuries after being taken to a primary health centre in Moreh.
The border town is dominated by the Kuki-Zo community and lies adjacent to Myanmar – some 115 km from the state capital Imphal. The Manipur cabinet said on Tuesday “that no illegal armed personnel shall be permitted in or around Moreh, considering the strategic position of the town under India's Act East Policy”.
More than 180 people have lost their lives since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
(With inputs from agencies)
