DIG at Moreh; more IRB, AR troopers deployed
Removing police commando from Moreh not in our power: AR to Kuki women
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 03 2023: Meanwhile, DIG Manipur Police H Jogeshchandra reached Moreh on Friday and took stock of the situation there.

The DIG is stationing in the border town to oversee on going operation.

Moreover, additional IRB personnel have been deployed at the police outpost located at Chikim village near Kondong Lairembi shrine, around 4 km from Moreh police station.

At least 200 Assam Rifles personnel were also airlifted to Moreh town in ethnic strife-torn Manipur as the security forces launched an offensive to flush out militants, especially infiltrators from Myanmar suspected to be involved in recent attacks that killed one senior police officer, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Moreh has been on high alert since Tuesday after SDPO Chingtham Anand Kumar was killed and three constables of a reinforcement team sustained bullet injuries in two separate attacks by militants in the border town, 110 km from Imphal.

"The additional personnel were air-lifted, some were also sent to Moreh by road as part of the counter-terror measures.

They are involved in identifying militants who are hiding in the town or may have crossed into India from the Indo-Myan-mar border, " a senior officer aware of the matter said, requesting anonymity.

"Assam Rifles is working with other agencies in the counter-terror operations".

Security forces are on the lookout for militants from Myanmar who are suspected to be involved in fanning tensions in the state.

On Tuesday, the security forces detained at least 32 Myanmarese nationals in Moreh, of whom 10 have been sent to the Foreigners Detention Centre.

In continuation of the search, special commando team led by SP Krishnatombi carried out search operation in Moreh Ward No 7, Canaan Veng, Chavangphai Leikai and Chikim village during which military uniforms and boots and several materials used by suspected Kuki militants were recovered.

There were no arrests.

Meanwhile, Assam Rifles personnel in Moreh, on Friday, told Kuki women protestors that removing commando personnel from the border town is not in their power and asked them to vacate the protest site in front of the Gate No 1 of the AR post and stay at the KLP post camp if they want.

AR personnel used loudspeaker to make the announcement on Friday as the Kuki women protestors continued to block the AR post gate demanding removal of Manipur police commando from Moreh.

Around 150 women and children had already moved into the KLP post of AR.

In another incident across the border, two alleged Kuki militants who fled from their hideouts in Moreh border town were killed by the Myanmarese armies in an operation at a place near the Namphalong market, Myanmar on Friday at around 9 am.

An equal number of Kuki militants were also arrested in the operation carried out by the Myanmar armies at different hideouts, intelligence sources from across the border said.

Namphalong is a stone's throw away (distance) from Moreh gate number two connecting Myanmar.

From time to time, the Myanmar Army (MA) has been fighting against the rebel combined forces of the People's Defence Force (Myanmar) (PDF) and Kuki National Army (KNA) (B) since 2021.The armed Kuki people fled from their homestead following relentless operations conducted by the Indian security forces after the killing of the SDPO Moreh (Tengnoupal subdivision) Chingtham Anand Kumar on October 31.The offensive against the Kuki militants were intensified in Manipur with the launching of operations at Toulal, Laikhot and Senjang villages.

During the operations, several persons including women and children were verified for finding the killer of the SDPO.

The fleeing Kuki militants are currently hiding at the villages of Khangpat, T Minou under the Tamu police station in the Sangaing region of Myanmar, the report said.

Meanwhile, around 150 Kuki-Zo people mostly women and children are taking shelter near the gate of the 5 Assam Rifles in Manipur's Tengnoupal district for the second day on Friday.

They fled from their homestead in fear of the cordon and search operations, although the operations were carried out with CCTV cameras and other types of equipment for presentation to the general public, an Assam Rifles source said.

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