A police officer was shot dead by a suspected Kuki militant on Tuesday in the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh in Manipur. The victim’s name was Chingtham Anand who was a sub-divisional police officer was on duty, overseeing the cleaning of the Eastern Shine School grounds for the construction of a helipad which was a joint assignment by the state force and the BSF, when the militants fired at him.
Anand was grievously injured and rushed to a local primary health centre but he succumbed to his injuries. Many people reacted to the violence which took place on Tuesday, one of them is Chief Minister N. Biren Singh who assured that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. “Deeply saddened by the cold-blooded killing of SDPO Chingtham Anand, OC Moreh Police this morning. His dedication to serve and protect the people will always be remembered,” Singh wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The tribal Kukis are a majority in Moreh and in the recent past, the Kukis organisations have also demanded the removal of state forces from the town. “While a sense of normalcy was slowly settling in, an MPS officer has been killed today in unprovoked firing by armed Kuki militants…” a government statement said. On the untimely demise of the police officer, the cabinet approved an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh and also a suitable government job to the next kin of the victim. It directed forces to launch a joint operation in Moreh and adjoining areas to nab the culprits. Additional state forces were rushed to Moreh.
It was further decided that no illegal armed personnel shall be permitted in and around Moreh, considering the strategic position of the town under India’s Act East Policy. “It further informed that the youth volunteers would be the ones going to face the war on the frontlines and that its national army/UG groups will join the youth volunteers only in critical situations…” the statement said.
