Curfew in Moreh after unrest following arrest of man accused of killing SDPO Chingtham Anand

Situation turned tense in Manipur’s Moreh town located along the India-Myanmar border on Monday, after the arrest of Philips Khongsai, suspected to be the main accused in the killing of Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chingtham Anand in October last year.

A huge crowd gathered last night outside the Moreh police station and Commando Complex, demanding unconditional release of Khongsai.

As the situation escalated, the combined team of security forces including Assam Rifles, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Border Security Force (BSF) fired a few live rounds in the air to disperse the crowd.

A woman sustained injuries in the incident.

Curfew has been imposed in Moreh following the unrest and tense situation.

Sources from Kangpokpi claimed that two Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal district leaders were also arrested by the police, following which Kuki-Zo women in Moreh launched a protest demanding their unconditional release.

In a police statement, security personnel observed two persons, Philip Khaikholal Khongsai and Hemkholal Mate, who opened fire on the vehicles of the security forces during round patrolling near Moreh College around 4:30 pm on Monday. The accused hid in a cluster of houses to avoid being captured.

On being fired upon, the security forces immediately retaliated and cordoned off the houses where the accused were hiding, according to the police statement.

During the operation, the two people were chased and overpowered by the security forces and detained for verification. Following spot verification, the accused were arrested.

The police recovered one pistol along with two live rounds, one Chinese hand grenade, ten live rounds of ammunition and ten detonators with fuse, the statement said.

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