IMPHAL: The Manipur Police have arrested five individuals for carrying sophisticated weaponry donning camouflage uniforms in Imphal East, according to an official statement issued on Sunday. The action comes amid growing concerns of “extortion, threats, misuse of police uniforms, and impersonation by armed miscreants”.
The official statement elaborated that after the arrests, a large crowd gathered at the site, protesting the detention. The situation escalated as the crowd attempted to breach the Porompat Police Station’s defences in the district. In response, security forces employed tear gas to disperse the gathering, resulting in minor injuries. Among the injured was a personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF).
Earlier on September 15, Manipur’s IGP (Administration) K Jayanta, during a press briefing at Police Headquarters, he disclosed that amid the ongoing sectarian strife in the state, a staggering 5,668 arms were pilfered from police arsenals. “As of September 14, 1,329 of these weapons have been reclaimed,” he reported.
The unrest’s grim toll stands at 175 lives lost, with 165 of the victims being identified, he said. Families have taken custody of 79 bodies, while a heart-wrenching 96 remain unclaimed across various medical facilities including JNIMS reports 26, RIMS has 28, and Churachandpur district hospital holds 42.
IGP (Operations) I K Muivah stated, “During these challenging times in Manipur, we want to assure the public that the police, central forces, and civil administration are working tirelessly around the clock to restore normalcy.”
In a separate statement, IGP (Zone-3) Nishit Ujjwal confirmed that NH-32 and NH-2 are operating without disruptions. The official statement had concluded saying, “Manipur Police is resolute in its commitment to execute such raids/operations to restore peace and normalcy in the state.”
