Police commandos, BSF personnel injured in gunfight in border town Moreh

CM N Biren Singh, who visited the hospitals in Imphal to take stock of the conditions of the injured, warned about taking "stringent action" that may lead to the re-imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the entire state.

Guwahati: At least seven persons, including four Manipur police commandos and a BSF jawan, were injured on Tuesday morning as the gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki insurgents continued at Moreh, the Kuki-dominated trade town in Tengnoupal district sharing a border with Myanmar.

Police officials said the firing started after local residents tried to stop the security personnel from taking away two civilians, who were nabbed for their alleged involvement in similar firing incidents on Saturday and Sunday. The firing on Tuesday continued for hours and tension gripped the town, which has witnessed violence since May.

Four injured police commandos and the BSF personnel were airlifted to the state capital Imphal for treatment in the Regional Institute for Medical Science.

The incident took place a day after four persons belonging to Meitei Pangal (Meitei Muslim) community were gunned down and five others were wounded in Meitei-dominated Thoubal district. Fear gripped the Pangals at the Lilong area in Thoubal as the community has remained neutral during the ongoing clashes between the Meiteis and the Kuki tribes since May last year.

Nearly 200 people have been killed and over 60,000 others have been displaced due to the clashes so far.

Re-imposition of AFSPA:

CM N Biren Singh, who visited the hospitals in Imphal to take stock of the conditions of the injured, warned about taking "stringent action" that may lead to re-imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the entire state. Singh said sophisticated weapons were used in the attack on the security forces.

"The government will not remain silent and take actions against anyone taking law into their own hands. In the event that AFSPA is reimposed by the Centre in view of the repeated disturbances created by various elements, those creating these disturbances should be held responsible," said a statement quoting the CM.

AFSPA was withdrawn from areas under 19 police stations in seven Manipur districts last year. However, it was reintroduced for another six months in the Kuki and Naga-dominated hill districts, recently.