In a tragic turn of events, a second Manipur Police commando lost his life in the escalating violence in Moreh, a crucial trading town near the Myanmar border. The town has become a focal point for clashes between security forces and protesters, leading to a tense atmosphere in the region.
Late Wednesday, Takhellambam Saileshwore became the second commando to succumb to injuries, following the earlier death of 32-year-old Wangkhem Somorjit Meetei. Two other critically injured commandos have been airlifted to Imphal, the state capital, for urgent medical treatment.
The violence erupted as Manipur Police commandos faced heavy gunfire, including the use of rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), from unidentified attackers. Despite effective retaliation from the commandos, the situation remained volatile, exacerbated by the presence of protesters in the area.
During the incident, an elderly woman was reportedly injured, though the circumstances surrounding her injuries remain unclear. Visuals from the scene captured armed attackers pushing back a security forces truck attempting to enter Moreh.
The recent wave of violence follows the arrest of two Kuki tribals implicated in the October killing of a police officer, Chingtham Anand Kumar. This arrest triggered massive protests by Kuki-Zo groups, accusing Manipur Police of attacking their members and demanding the replacement of state security personnel with central forces.
In response to the arrests, hundreds of people from Kuki tribes took to the streets of Moreh demanding the release of the detainees, one of whom is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member.
Today’s attack resulted in damage to several houses and two schools, either from RPG strikes or arson-related incidents. In a surprising gesture of cross-border cooperation, a fire engine from Myanmar crossed into Moreh to help extinguish the fires.
The area’s ongoing ethnic tensions between the hill-majority Kuki tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis have claimed over 180 lives in the past eight months. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, among others, has been vocal in calling for the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the construction of a border fence.
The FMR, initially implemented in 1970 and revived by the Narendra Modi government in 2016 as part of the ‘Act East’ policy, allows easier border crossings for hill tribe members from India or Myanmar. However, tensions have heightened, and the FMR is slated to be scrapped soon, with a fence planned to be built by 2029, according to a senior government official.
As Manipur grapples with internal strife and demands for territorial control, the violence in Moreh underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive resolution to address the deep-rooted ethnic tensions in the region.
Sources By Agencies
