Today, an attack in the border town of Moreh, 110 km away from the state capital of Imphal, claimed the life of a Manipur Police commando. According to government sources, shooting has been ongoing since the morning. The assailants reportedly fired and tossed bombs at a security checkpoint close to Moreh today. On the border between India and Myanmar, Moreh is a significant trading town.
According to the police, the terrorists also damaged other nearby parked cars with RPG bullets fired at the makeshift commando position.
The state police commando in Moreh was affiliated with Wangkhem Somorjit, an IRB employee, who was identified as the deceased commando. Malom is Somorjit’s hometown in the Imphal West neighbourhood.
The recent violence coincides with widespread demonstrations by Kuki groups in response to the police detaining two tribal members for their possible participation in the death of a police officer.
Armed assailants can be seen in a footage of the altercation pushing back a security van that is attempting to enter Moreh.
The Manipur government had earlier ordered a complete curfew starting at 12 am on January 16 in response 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 decision, “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 organisations with a Moreh basis, such as Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal, strongly objected to the detention.
The Kuki tribes have requested that only central forces remain in Moreh and that the state police be removed. They claim the police had attacked citizens in Kuki. The attacks on the state police commandos were carried out by militants 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 conflict.
