Mob storms police station in Manipur's Ukhrul, loots arms and ammunition

Imphal, Oct 3 (IANS) A mob looted a large cache of arms and ammunition from a police station in Manipur’s Ukhrul district soon after a clash between two Naga villages in which three people were killed and 30 others injured, officials said on Thursday.

The clash and the looting took place on Wednesday in the Ukhrul district and among those killed included a Manipur Rifles trooper. The officials said the villagers even engaged in a gun battle over a boundary dispute.

A police official confirming the arms loot said they are yet to get the details on the missing arms and ammunition. However, local media quoting the official sources said the mob stormed the Ukhrul police station on Wednesday and managed to decamp with 21 arms and a large quantity of various types of ammunition.

The looted arms include eight 9mm pistols, six INSAS rifles, three AK-47 rifles, two 9mm carbines, one each of SLR and Sten gun. The mob looted over 980 various types of ammunition along with sophisticated weapons, the media report said.

A huge contingent of security forces led by senior police officials have rushed to the areas and launched search operations to recover the looted arms and ammunition.

The Ukhrul police station is located around a kilometre away from an Assam Rifles camp. This is the first time a police station was stormed and arms and ammunition looted in a Naga-majority area.

Over 6,000 arms and lakhs of various types of ammunition had been looted by mobs and various armed groups from different police stations and security posts in Manipur since the ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state between Meitei and Kuki-Zo community in May last year.

According to police officials, residents of the Hunphun and Hungpung villages participated in the ‘Swachhata Abhiyan’ (cleanliness drive) on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti but suddenly engaged in clashes over the disputed boundary of their villages.

During the clashes, some youths started firing from their guns, killing two villagers and a Manipur Rifles jawan on the spot.

The deceased were identified as Reileiwung Hongray and Silas Zingkhai from Hunphun village, and Worrinmi Thumra, the Manipur Rifles jawan.

Over 30 people, injured in the clashes and the firing, are now under medical treatment in various hospitals.

Manipur Police on Wednesday night sounded a high alert and asked all the 16 district police chiefs to remain vigilant given the prevailing law and order situations.

A senior police official said that the police authorities have issued a high alert to the Superintendent of Police of all 16 districts hours after three persons were killed and 30 others injured.

Additional Director General (ADG) of Police (Law and Order) L. Kailun in an urgent message asked all the 16 district SPs to remain on the highest alert given the prevailing law and order situation. “Proper security for arms and ammunition must be ensured. All officers, police stations, outposts, and Naka points should remain on the highest alert,” the ADG said in his most urgent message.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh condoled the death of three Naga men and urged the people to maintain calm. The Chief Minister asked the officials to provide financial assistance to the families of the victims.

“All injured are being assisted by the government to provide proper medical treatment in Imphal as well as in Ukhrul,” the Chief Minister said in a statement on Wednesday night.

The state government temporarily suspended the mobile Internet services in the entire district, where the Tangkhul Nagas comprise the majority, and has a border with Nagaland as well as Myanmar.

Apprehending further trouble, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Dinringam Kamei imposed prohibitory orders for an indefinite period under Section 163 BNSS, restricting among others the movement of people outside their residences.

Earlier this week, four houses were attacked and damaged in one of the villages, leading to a flaring up of tension. Three Naga legislators -- Transport Minister Khashim Vashum, and MLAs Ram Muivah (a retired IAS officer) and Leishiyo Keishing -- made a joint appeal to the people to maintain peace and unity.

The joint statement of the Minister and the MLAs said: “Our villages, bound together by blood, history and love, must not be torn apart by the fires of violence and anger. We are not just neighbours; we are a family. Our ancestors walked these same paths and shared their dreams, their hardships, and their joy. Let us not allow this moment to shatter what generations have built. No victory can be found in the pain of our brothers and sisters. Let us pause, reflect, and remember that our strength lies in unity, not division. Every heart that bleeds today is a wound on our shared soul.”