Manipur violence: Three BSF personnel injured in Thoubal district

| Updated: 18 January, 2024 3:55 pm IST

Guwahati: At least three Border Security Forces (BSF) personnel sustained injuries when an enraged mob attempted to storm the Thoubal district police headquarters on Wednesday night.

Initially focusing on the 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion in Khangabok, the mob was repelled by security forces with the minimum necessary force.

According to a police police, security forces repelled them using the minimum necessary force. Further, the mob attempted to breach Thoubal Police Headquarters, prompting the security forces to use legal force.

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Armed miscreants from among the mob fired with live rounds. As a result, three personnel from BSF sustained bullet injuries and reached Imphal Hospital. Following this incident, a total curfew has been clamped in Thoubal.

The situation in Manipur’s capital, Imphal, remains tense following an attack by armed militants at Moreh in the Tengnoupal district on Wednesday, resulting in the death of two police commandos and injuries to two other personnel.

Takhellambam Saileshwor of Lamsang area in Imphal West district, one of the slain cops was a prominent football goalkeeper of Manipur Police Sports Club ( MPSC), police said, adding that he succumbed to his injuries at RIMS hospital in Imphal.  He belonged to the 1st India Reserve Battalion (IRB).

In the synchronized attacks employing rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), many houses went up in flames at the border town. A  Kuki woman was also injured when she was hit by an Assam Rifles (AR) vehicle. Notably, fire tender vehicles from neighbouring Myanmar dowsed the fire at Moreh Ward No 3, Kanan Veng, and some houses near Moreh Hospital.
The other deceased – Wangkhem Sormorjit Meetei (32) of Malom Tulihal Mayai Leikai – was a rifleman 6 BN Manipur Rifles.

The injured cops –   Ngashekpam Bhim (35) of the Pangei area and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Shiddarth Thokcom of Thangmeiband Lourung Purel here– are currently undergoing treatment at RIMS hospital.

The bodies of Somorjit and Saileshwor have been kept at the mortuary of RIMS for autopsy. Somorjit’s mortal remains and the injured trio were airlifted from Moreh to Imphal by a chopper.

“Around 9 am today, our Kaka (uncle) Salaeshwor, during a group video call among our family members, said his group came under heavy attack by Kuki militants with bombs and snipers from different sides at Moreh and one of his colleagues received injuries,” said Prashanta Takhellambam, nephew of the deceased cop. “Our kaka was a renowned football goalkeeper in Manipur police and he was recently promoted to Havildar. He left for Moreh on January 5,” Prashanta added.

In Imphal, legions of womenfolk came out in the streets and protested against what they termed as the state government’s failure to send reinforcements and reign in Kuki militants at the border town.

To express their voices some of them abortively attempted to storm the bungalows of Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Governor Anusuiya Uikey as they were stopped by the police. A Joint Action Committee (JAC) constituted by the Malom people in protest against Somorjit’s killing resolved not to claim his body for performing the last rites unless the government arrests the culprits involved in killing him.

Wednesday’s corresponding attacks came a day after two Moreh residents, Philip Khongsai and Hemkholal Mate, who were arrested in connection with the gunning down of SDPO Chingtham Anand there on October 31, last year, were remanded in police by a local court for 9 days.

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