After an officer was killed, Manipur Police Commandos ambushed and were sent in as reinforcements

On their approach to a border town to provide reinforcements after a senior police officer was shot dead this morning, a Manipur Police squad was attacked by suspected militants.

According to reports, the ambush that took place 10 kilometers outside of Tengnoupal district wounded several police commandos, as reported by NDTV.

It said that Assamese forces eventually came to the relief of the ambushed police unit.

Numerous wounded commandos were reportedly sent to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Kuki civil society organizations claimed in statements that the shoot-out with Kuki village volunteers was a kind of reprisal for what they saw to be police commandos’ indiscriminate use of force.

The Kuki groups have requested that the central government remove the police from the border town of Moreh, alleging that the Manipur government has been sending state personnel there to harass locals.

According to a police officer quoted in the paper, certain organizations often use “village volunteers” as a pretext for insurgent operations, and it is impossible to guarantee that these “village volunteers” won’t take the lead in an attack.

“Firsthand observation and verification of the ground situation are necessary. Any organization may make any claim. That does not imply that it is accurate,” the officer mentioned above was cited as saying.

About 115 kilometers separate the state capital of Imphal from the border market town of Moreh in Tengnoupal, India-Myanmar, where senior police officer Chingtham Anand was shot and killed by a suspected rebel sniper while supervising the building of a helipad.

A police officer was fired at by alleged militants in Moreh, a state plagued by ethnic strife, resulting in his death.

Moreh Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chingtham Anand was examining a recently built helipad at the Eastern ground in the border town when the event occurred.

“After being brought to a local health center in Moreh, the SDPO passed away from his wounds. According to the report, the police have started an operation to capture the insurgents.

It said that Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh expressed his sadness over the “cold-blooded killing” of Anand.

Singh posted on X, the previous Twitter platform, saying, “Deeply saddened by the cold-blooded killing of SDPO Chingtham Anand, OC Moreh Police this morning.”

“His commitment to protecting and serving the populace will never be forgotten. The offenders will face consequences.