India: Manipur police officer shot dead by suspected tribal militants at Moreh

A police officer was shot dead by suspected tribal militants at Moreh in Manipur's Tengnoupal district on Tuesday (Oct 31).

The incident took place when Moreh SDPO Chingtham Anand, along with other police officers, was inspecting the newly constructed helipad at the Eastern ground in the border town, which as per news agency PTI reports, is dominated by Kuki-Zo community people.

A senior police official said that after being shot at, the SDPO was immediately rushed to a primary health centre in Moreh where he succumbed to the bullet injury.

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The incident has prompted an operation in the area to capture the militants.

This comes two weeks after members of several civil society organisations, particularly the ones based in Moreh, demanded the state forces be removed from the border town.

As per news agency PTI reports, the Manipur police, in the last couple of days, have apprehended more than 10 Myanmarese for allegedly stealing items from abandoned residences of Meiteis and for illegally entering into the Indian territory.

To this, Manipur CM N Biren Singh had stated, "This happened when some particular organisations were protesting against the deployment of state police and commandos at Moreh town".

Chief Minister N Biren Singh dubs incident 'cold-blooded killing'

Reacting to the incident, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh took to his official X account and said that he was "deeply saddened" by the "cold-blooded killing" of SDPO.

"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. The perpetrators will be brought to justice," he wrote.

More than 180 people were killed in the ethnic violence that erupted in the state on May 3 after the 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to stage a demonstration against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis comprises more than 53 per cent of Manipur's population which mostly lives in the Imphal Valley. At the same time, tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

(With inputs from agencies)

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