Cops-civilians scuffle cripples Moreh, indefinite bandh on
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 14 2020: In the aftermath of a violent incident which broke out at Moreh yesterday in which several police personnel and civilians were reportedly injured, police have filed three separate FIRs asking persons involved to surrender at the earliest.

CrPC Section 144 has been imposed in the whole of Moreh town and Imphal-Moreh road.

Altogether five police personnel were hurt in the series of violent incidents yesterday, said police.

Cops-civilians scuffle cripples Moreh, indefinite bandh on

The violent incidents started when a team of Moreh commando, tasked to intercept illegal activities along the Indo-Myanmar border, chased and stopped a Maruti Swift Dzire vehicle with tinted glass coming from Holenphai village side which refused to stop when asked near Shijang village at around 11 am yesterday.

Two of the three occupants of the vehicle identified as Mangminlen Touthang and Khaijamang Touthang, both sons of (L) Ngamjapao Touthang of Leijangphai village near Moreh, instead of co-operating with the police, started 'attacking' the commando team Commander.

The brothers also tried to snatch the weapon of the commando driver causing a scuffle in which four personnel were injured, claimed police.

Meanwhile, strongly condemning the alleged police brutality on the two brothers, Mangminlen Touthang and Khaijamang Touthang, who were going for a haircut at Moreh bazar, KCA (Moreh Block), HTC, KWU&HR and KSO (Moreh Block) have imposed indefinite bandh along Moreh-Imphal road.

The two are presently undergoing treatment at Imphal, said a joint statement of the organisations today.

On the other hand, the statement issued by police continued that as the commando team went to Moreh Hospital for treatment at around 12.15 pm, a mob of around 150-200 people suspected to be from Holenphai and Shijang villages thronged the hospital and started attacking the commando team using lethal weapons like iron rods, sticks and stones etc with an 'intention to kill' .

The mob damaged a Maruti Gypsy, hospital properties and forcefully confined the commando team in a room, asserted police.

In a bid to rescue the commando team, a team of Tengnoupal District Police led by Additional SP (Ops) Moreh, M Amit Singh rushed to the hospital and requested the mob to disperse.

After failing to pacify the mob, another team of reinforcement led by SP Tengnoupal Th Vikramjit Singh arrived and rescued the captive commando team.

As the mob pelted sticks and stones hurting one police personnel and breaking window panes of the vehicle allotted to the ADC Moreh during the rescue operation, police were forced to use 'minimum force'.

Several tear smoke shells were fired to disperse the mob, added police.

Following the incidents, Tengnoupal Deputy Commissioner M Rajkumar, SP Tengnoupal and other officials visited various places in the district and took stock of the prevailing security situation.

Additional forces are deployed in the border town and security has been tightened to thwart any unwanted incident.

Meanwhile denouncing the charges labelled against the two 'pedestrians,' the Moreh-based civil organisations questioned how could civilians keep well armed commando personnel captive inside the hospital and refuted the allegation that the two brothers tried to snatch the weapons of the CDO personnel.

The organisations further claimed that the FIRs filed in connection with the incidents do not correspond to the conduct of the two brothers and asserted that the police press release regarding the incidents is a 'lie' that indicates that the people of Moreh are 'illiterate and non-sense.' The bandh imposed along the Moreh-Imphal will not be withdrawn until and unless the commando personnel involved in 'attempt to murder the civilians' are terminated from their services, said the organisations.

Recalling a reported assurance of the DGP in 2012 that the commandos were stationed temporarily (three months) at Moreh, the organisations said that the no commando personnel should be stationed at the border town.

"As long as the commandos are there, there will be problems and misunderstandings among communities.

The sooner the commandos are removed from Moreh, the sooner the bandh will be lifted," they said.