Militants gun down Manipur cop, target security convoy

A sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) was killed and three constables sustained bullet injuries on Tuesday in two separate attacks by suspected militants close to the India-Myanmar border at Moreh town in Manipur, in a major firing incident in weeks in the ethnic strife-torn state, police said.

Following the killing of Moreh SDPO Chingtham Anand Kumar, the state government recommend declaring World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) as a banned group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

“On 31.10.2023, Chingtham Anand Kumar, MPS, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Moreh, a resident of Haobam Marak Chingtham Leikai, Imphal was martyred in a firing incident by armed Kuki miscreants while he was on duty overseeing the cleaning of the grounds of Eastern Shine School, Moreh for construction of helipad, jointly by state force and BSF. Manipur Police strongly condemns this dastardly attack,” the state police said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the police, Kumar, the officer-in-charge of Moreh police station, was shot at with a sniper rifle from some distance, following which he was rushed to a nearby health centre and later airlifted to Imphal, where he succumbed to his injuries.

A commercial border town in Tengnoupal district, Moreh is 110 km from Imphal.

Meanwhile, a reinforcement team being dispatched to Moreh came under attack in Bongjang and Sinam areas along the Imphal-Moreh highway, in which three police personnel sustained bullet injuries, officers said, adding all three received injuries on their legs.

Though the identity of the injured personnel could not be ascertained immediately, officers said the reinforcement team was led by IG (Zone I) Themthing Ngasangva and DIG (Range II) Jogeshchandra Haobijam. “…They have been evacuated safely to Imphal for medical treatment,” the state police said in the post.

Chief minister N Biren Singh said he was “deeply saddened by the cold-blooded killing” of SDPO Kumar. “His dedication to serve and protect the people will always be remembered. The perpetrators will be brought to justice,” he wrote on X.

In an emergency meeting called at the chief minister’s office soon after the attack, the state cabinet announced a relief of ₹50 lakh to the kin of the deceased police officer. “A suitable government employment shall also be provided to the next-of-kin of the deceased martyr,” the CM’s secretariat said in a press release.

“In view of today’s incident leading to killing of a senior police officer, the Cabinet therefore approved to recommend for declaration of the World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), as an unlawful association/organization under section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,” the release added.

To be sure, the power to declare an organisation as unlawful under the UAPA rests with the Union government.

The cabinet noted that an FIR under UAPA was already registered against WKZIC, a Kuki-Zo group, on Monday for allegedly asking Kukis to get ready for “another war” and assured to supply weapons.

The cabinet also issued direction for launching a joint operation in Moreh and adjoining areas to nab the culprits responsible for the crime and to continue the same till the culprits are arrested, the release said. The operations have since started.

The cabinet further directed that the central and state forces shall ensure free movement of transportation and general public along Pallel-Moreh road on NH-102 while reviewing the security situation in the region.

At least 178 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced in Manipur since May 3, when ethnic clashes erupted between numerically dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki communities.

Following the attack on Tuesday, people came out in large numbers in Singjamei and Wangjing areas in Imphal demanding justice for the deceased officer, who was from the Meitei community.

Meanwhile, Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a Kuki organisation, accused the state government of “discrimination” while dealing with killings of police officers from the community. On September 13, Ongmang Haokip, a Kuki sub-inspector, was shot in his head, suspected to be from a sniper’s bullet, while he was posted at Chingphei in Churachandpur district. “Recent events have brought to light an alarming disparity in the treatment of the citizens, based solely on their ethnic identity, further emphasizing the divisive agenda perpetuated by the Meitei-centric communal chief minister N Biren Singh and his cabinet,” the ITLF said in a statement on Tuesday. It accused the CM of remaining silent on Haokip’s death and claimed that no monetary relief was provided to his family.