Manipur policeman shot dead by militants in Moreh
Imphal: A sub-divisional police officer was killed on Tuesday after being shot at by suspected tribal militants at Moreh in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, police said.
Moreh SDPO Chingtham Anand received a bullet injury after the group of insurgents fired on policemen when they were inspecting the newly constructed helipad at Eastern ground in the border town dominated by Kuki-Zo community people, a senior officer said.
The SDPO was taken to a primary health centre in Moreh where he succumbed to his injury. An operation has been launched in the area to apprehend the militants.
In an emergency meeting, the Manipur Cabinet approved Rs 50 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of Anand.
Condemning the dastardly act, the Cabinet also decided to provide a suitable government employment to the next of kin of the slain policeman.
The Cabinet decided to instruct the security forces “to launch a joint operation in Moreh and its adjoining areas to arrest the culprits responsible for the crime” and “noted that additional state forces have been detailed from Imphal for the purpose. The operations have since started.”
The Cabinet instructed central and state forces to ensure free movement of vehicles on Pallel-Moreh road NH-102 which connects Imphal valley with the border town, a distance of around 110 km.
The Cabinet further decided “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.”
The Cabinet also approved to recommend the World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) as an “unlawful organisation under Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.”
The Cabinet noted that the organisation had recently called upon the Kuki-Zo community to stock arms and ammunition following apprehension of another face-off between the two warring communities in November, before the harvesting season.
The incident comes weeks after several civil society organisations, particularly those based in Moreh, demanded the removal of state forces from the border town.
with agency inputs
