Looting guns : MHRC issues notices
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 10 2023:
The Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has sent a notice to Chief Secretary and the DGP, Manipur to submit a status report on looting of firearms and ammunition from a gun shop during the riot on May 3 in Churachandpur town before the Commission on June 12 .
It may be mentioned that the proprietor of the gun shop N Ibomcha Singh of Khumujamba Meetei Leikai, Churachandpur lodged a complaint to MHRC on May 15 to issue directive to the DGP to investigate into the looting of firearms, ammunition, cash and other valuable items from his shop.
In his complaint, N Ibomcha claimed that the looters took away 500 guns of different types including 17 repeaters, 25,000 cartridges of 12 bore, 12,000 cartridges of point 22 rifle, 3,000 NPB cartridges, huge number of pellets of air rifles and Rs 25 lakh in cash.
The MHRC said that N Ibomcha was running the gun shop at Churachandpur with a licence from the Government of Manipur.
The complainant alleged that Kuki militants from Myanmar and underground Kuki extremists were killing innocent Meiteis and burning their houses.
Stating that the allegations raised by the gun shop owner are serious in nature, the Commission asked the respondents to identify the illegal migrants/militants/extremists/unknown miscreants who looted the arms and ammunition and book them apart from recovering the looted guns and weapons lying with the people of that area irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
The MHRC observed that it would be proper to transfer the case to Churachandpur police station and let non Kuki and non Meitei police officer at the rank of SP or
Deputy SP investigate it.