Imphal: A major fire broke out at a building in the Manipur secretariat complex near Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s official bungalow here on Saturday evening, police said. As per PTI, at least three fire tenders were pressed into the service to douse the blaze.
The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained, an official said.
Major fire breaks out in Manipur secretariat complex near CM’s official residence: Police
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 15, 2024
Further Updates Awaited
There were reports of shooting, intimidation, the destruction of EVMs at some voting booths, and charges of booth capturing in conflict-torn Manipur, which had a 72 percent turnout in its two Lok Sabha constituencies – Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur.
Manipur Violence: The cycle of violence in Manipur is showing no sign of stopping. Every day some incidents of violence are coming to light. In this series, despite security arrangements and curfew in Manipur’s Imphal Valley, a mob tried to attack the vacant ancestral house of state Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday night. However, the security forces foiled the mob’s intention of vandalism and arson by firing in the air. In this case, the police said that an attempt was made to attack the ancestral residence of the Chief Minister in Hingang area of Imphal. However, the security forces stopped the crowd about 100 to 150 meters before the residence. The police officer said that now no one lives in this house, although it is guarded 24 hours a day. He said the RAF and state police personnel fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. During this, the protesters also burnt tires in the middle of the nearby road.
The crowd became furious over the death of two youths
Let us tell you that in Manipur, students had protested violently on Tuesday and Wednesday regarding the death of two youths. The mob had also vandalized the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Imphal West district on Thursday and set fire to two four-wheelers. Earlier on Wednesday, curfew was reimposed in two districts of Imphal East and West and 65 protesters have been injured in the clashes since Tuesday. A day after photographs of the bodies of two people – a man and a girl – who went missing in July were circulated on social media, a fresh incident of violence was reported in the state capital on Tuesday.
Militants roaming freely in Imphal Valley
Here, militants are roaming freely in Imphal Valley. Not only this, he has also been seen instigating the crowd. At the same time, the crowd in Imphal Valley has become furious after the pictures of two missing teenagers surfaced. Security agencies said that during the attacks on the police team by the mob, armed men wearing black uniforms were seen directing the angry youth to attack the police. After this many vehicles were set on fire. Security agencies have been warning that militants from the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and other banned groups have become part of the crowd and are carrying out covert attacks on security forces as well as directing protesters. Are.
Recently, the presence of militants was found within the crowd which attacked security forces near Palel in Tengnoupal, injuring an Army Lieutenant Colonel. Central security agencies had warned about the possibility of militants joining the crowd during any protest to create tension in violence-hit Manipur. Apart from this, the miscreants in the crowd used pieces of iron, which were fired towards the security personnel with the help of automatic weapons. More than a dozen policemen, including an officer of the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police, were injured in the clashes that broke out in Imphal Valley after photographs of the missing teenagers surfaced. These teenagers are feared to have been killed during ethnic conflict.
Banned groups are becoming active again
Officials reiterated that the ongoing unrest has seen the activation of almost dormant banned groups like UNLF, PLA, Kanglei Yawol Kanba Lup (KYKL), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK). Officials have also cautioned that the recent release of four youths in possession of lethal weapons looted from the police armory is an alarming signal and efforts should be intensified to nab them and book them under relevant sections of the law. He said that at present, the cadre strength of UNLF is 330, followed by 300 of PLA and 25 of KYKL who are active within the groups of the majority community.
The Army and Assam Rifles, acting on specific intelligence, arrested 12 KYKL operatives, including self-styled ‘Lieutenant Colonel’ Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam, in East Imphal on June 24. Uttam was one of the masterminds of the 2015 ambush on the 6th Dogra Regiment, in which 18 army personnel were killed. Officials said that there is every possibility that the arms and ammunition looted from the Manipur Police armory may have reached these militant groups. He said the looted weapons included .303 rifles, medium machine guns (MMG) and AK assault rifles, carbines, INSAS light machine guns (LMG), INSAS rifles, M-16 and MP5 rifles.
Officials said around 4,537 weapons and 6.32 lakh bullets are missing mainly from the Manipur Police Training Center (MTPC) at Pangei in East Imphal, the 7th India Reserve Battalion and the 8th Manipur Rifles, which are based at Khabeisoi in Imphal city.
According to officials, 2,900 of the weapons stolen were of lethal category while others included teargas and mini flare guns. Repeated appeals by the leaders have yielded no results as none of the looted weapons have been recovered except those returned in the last week of July.
No progress has been made even on cremation of dead bodies and opening of supply routes from Imphal to the hilly areas. More than 180 people have been killed and hundreds injured since caste violence broke out in Manipur on May 3. A series of violent incidents started after the organization of ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in the hill districts in protest against the demand of the majority Meitei community to give them Scheduled Tribe status.
Violence is not stopping in Manipur. Meanwhile, police said that the mob tried to attack the vacant residence of the Manipur Chief Minister’s family. Security forces foiled the attempt. If reports are to be believed, Manipur Chief Minister N. A mob tried to attack Biren Singh’s ancestral house on Thursday night. During this time, the security forces appeared alert and foiled the attack attempt. This information was given by the police. Let us discuss here that the Chief Minister does not live at his ancestral residence. He lives in his official residence.
Regarding the matter, a police officer said that an attempt was made to attack the ancestral residence of the Chief Minister of Manipur in Hingang area of Imphal. Security forces stopped the crowd about 100 meters before the residence. He said that no one lives in this house, although it is under tight security. It may be noted that students had protested violently on Tuesday and Wednesday in Manipur over the death of two youths. The mob had also vandalized the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Imphal West district early on Thursday and set fire to two four-wheelers.
Militants were seen roaming freely in Imphal, instigating the crowd.
Meanwhile, the worst fears of the security agencies seem to be coming true as militants have been seen roaming freely in the Imphal Valley and instigating the crowd. The crowd in Imphal Valley has become furious after the pictures of two missing teenagers surfaced. According to officials, during the attacks on the police team on Wednesday evening, armed men wearing black uniforms were seen directing the angry youth to attack the police. After this many vehicles were set on fire. Security agencies have been warning that militants from the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and other banned groups have become part of the crowd and are carrying out covert attacks on security forces as well as directing protesters. Are.
Recently, the presence of militants was found within the crowd which attacked security forces near Palel in Tengnoupal, injuring an Army Lieutenant Colonel. Central security agencies had warned about the possibility of militants joining the crowd during any protest to create tension in violence-hit Manipur. The presence of armed militants directing the crowd was seen in the incident of arson of a police vehicle. Apart from this, the miscreants in the crowd used pieces of iron, which were fired towards the security personnel with the help of automatic weapons.
Teenagers feared killed during ethnic conflict
It is noteworthy that after the photographs of the missing teenagers surfaced, more than a dozen policemen, including an officer of the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police, were injured in the clashes that took place in Imphal Valley. These teenagers are feared to have been killed during ethnic conflict.
with language input
Manipur Internet Service: Mobile internet services, which were suspended in Manipur following the outbreak of caste violence in early May, were restored from Saturday after more than four months. An official said mobile internet services were restored at 3 pm. A few hours before this, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had announced the restoration of suspended mobile internet services in the north-eastern state from today.
N. Biren Singh also called for the repeal of the free movement regime, under which people living on either side of the India-Myanmar border are allowed to move within 16 kilometers of each other’s territory without any documents. “The government had suspended mobile internet services on May 3 to stop the spread of fake news, propaganda and hate content, but as the situation has improved, mobile internet services will be resumed from today,” Singh said at a press conference here. Will be restored across the state.
The chief minister said the government would continue to tackle the problem of influx of “illegal immigrants”. He stressed the need for fencing the India-Myanmar border. Singh said, ‘The Union Home Ministry has taken steps to erect fencing along the 60 km long international border in Manipur.’ The Chief Minister claimed that the current situation is not due to any recent decision but is the result of unplanned policies of the previous governments.
He said, ‘Our government has requested the Union Home Ministry to end the free movement system.’ The Chief Minister strongly condemned the bandh culture and ‘widespread incidents of abuses against MLAs, ministers and police officers’, saying it has ‘distracted people from the real issues and created conflict among themselves’ .’ He said, ‘The situation has improved in the last two months and the incidents of firing have reduced due to the deployment of security forces in sensitive areas.’
N. Biren Singh claimed that a nationwide survey has found that there has been an increase in drug abuse by the youth of the state and that is why his government had launched a ‘war against drugs’ in 2018. He said, “This will continue… it will be carried out more strongly to destroy opium cultivation in the hills.” The Chief Minister said that the miscreants posing as policemen and committing extortion, kidnapping and other crimes would be stopped. Incidents have increased.
N. Biren Singh said, “We have to continue to focus on the important issues of the state like tackling the problem of illegal immigrants, running welfare activities for internally displaced people and solving the problem of large-scale cultivation of opium.” He said, “Our government is taking several initiatives with the aim of establishing rule of law in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Moreh and Imphal.”
Caste violence broke out in the state on May 3 after a tribal solidarity march was organized in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, in which more than 175 people have died so far and Hundreds of other people have been injured. People of the Meitei community constitute about 53 percent of the population of Manipur and they mostly live in the Imphal Valley. At the same time, the population of Naga and Kuki tribals is more than 40 percent and they mostly live in the hilly districts.
Manipur The body of an Indian Army soldier was found on Sunday in Khuningthek village of Imphal East district. Officials said the soldier has been identified as Serto Thangthang Kom of the Army’s Defense Security Corps (DSC) platoon at Limakhong in Kangpokpi district. Officials said he was a resident of Tarung in Imphal West.
Armed people had kidnapped the constable
Officials said that unknown armed men had abducted constable Kom, who was on leave, from his house around 10 am on Saturday morning. According to an eyewitness to the case and Kom’s 10-year-old son, three people entered his house when he was working in the verandah with his father. Officials quoted his son as saying, armed men forced the constable at gunpoint into a white vehicle and fled from the spot. He said, no news was received from Sipahi Kom till Sunday morning. His body was found in Khuningthek village of Imphal East district around 9.30 am.
bullet mark on soldier’s head
According to officials, the jawan’s identity was confirmed by his brother and a relative. They told that there was a bullet mark on the soldier’s head. Sepoy Kom is survived by his wife, daughter and son. Officials said the last rites will be performed as per the wishes of the family. The Army has sent a team to help the bereaved family.
Recently, representatives of Meitei community met the Defense Minister.
Representatives of ‘Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity’ (Cocomi), an organization of Meitei groups based in the Imphal Valley, recently met Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in the capital Delhi and demanded the withdrawal of Assam Rifles from the state, alleging that this force is partisan. Is working properly.
Meitei claims Kuki groups put the government in an uncomfortable position
He claimed in the memorandum that Kuki groups have put the government in an uncomfortable situation by contacting the United Nations for the resolution of the Manipur crisis.
Meitei community raised these issues in conversation with Defense Minister
People of the Meitei community raised the issues of narco-terrorism (involvement of terrorist organizations in drug trafficking), illegal immigrants and their identification as well as suspension of operation-related agreements in their conversation with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
Kuki community demands PM Modi to remove Assam Rifles
On the other hand, Kuki groups are accusing the state police of adopting a biased attitude. Last month, 10 Kuki MLAs of the state had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Assam Rifles should not be removed from the state. He said that if this is done then the security of the tribals may be affected.
175 people have died so far in Manipur violence
‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was taken out on May 3 in the hill districts against the demand of Meitei community for Scheduled Tribe status in Manipur. During this time, caste violence broke out, which continued for several days and in which about 175 people have been killed and about 1,100 have been injured.
Manipur Tension still continues between the Kuki and Meitei communities and there are reports that many terrorist groups have started becoming active again in the state. Security agencies have expressed fear of increasing tension again in Manipur. It is known that Manipur is burning in the fire of violence since May 3. More than 160 people have died so far in the violence. While thousands of people have been rendered homeless, they are forced to live in relief camps.
Terrorists associated with UNLF and PLA had opened fire on military officers.
Terrorists belonging to banned groups United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were reportedly part of a mob that opened fire on an army officer in Manipur. Central security agencies have now warned about the possibility of terrorists joining the crowd during any protest to escalate tensions in restive Manipur, officials said.
An army lieutenant colonel was injured in a clash between a group of people.
The warning comes after an army lieutenant colonel was injured last week during a confrontation with a group of people. The group had attempted to attack tribals in Molnoi village near Palel in Tengnoupal district, but was foiled by the Army and Assam Rifles. During the confrontation, a bullet hit the hand of Lieutenant Colonel Raman Tyagi, after which action was taken against the protesters who were adamant on marching towards the tribal village. Officials said Lieutenant Colonel Tyagi was airlifted from Manipur to Guwahati by helicopter, where he underwent surgery. He said that after investigating the incident, security agencies came to the conclusion that terrorists from banned groups were part of the protesting crowd.
Dormant terrorist groups are becoming active again
Officials said they had been warning about the reactivation of almost dormant banned groups such as UNLF, PLA, Kanglei Yawol Kanba Lup (KYKL) and People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) in the state for the past few weeks. He said currently there are 330 cadres of UNLF, followed by 300 cadres of PLA and 25 cadres of KYKL, who are active within the groups of the majority community.
Cadres of banned organizations are getting tremendous support
The tremendous support that the cadres of these banned organizations are receiving was visible on June 24 when the Army and Assam Rifles, acting on specific intelligence, captured 12 KYKL members in East Imphal, including self-styled ‘Lieutenant Colonel’ Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam. Included. Uttam was one of the main conspirators of the ambush attack on 6th Dogra Regiment in 2015. 18 army soldiers were killed in this attack. The UNLF has in the past been involved in large-scale extortion targeting contractors and traders. The PLA, which initially took shape under the name ‘Polei’, the ancient name of Manipur, reportedly aimed to liberate Manipur and establish an independent Meitei rule in the Imphal Valley.
KYKL raises money through extortion
KYKL raises money through extortion and openly supports other terrorist groups. It is considered a mercenary group, which has no ideology. PREPAK was banned by the government for its separatist ideology and the group primarily raises money through extortion from businessmen. This terrorist group is also involved in extortion on behalf of PLA and UNLF. This group, after keeping its share of the recovery amount, sends the remaining money to terrorist groups. Officials said that there is a possibility that the arms and ammunition looted from the Manipur Police armory may have reached these terrorist groups.