Manipur: Mob breaks into police armoury, loots weapons

Nearly 300 arms including INSAS, MP5 rifle and hand grenades were looted by about 500 "armed miscreants" from the armoury of the 2nd Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) based at Naranseina in Bishnupur district of conflict-hit Manipur's on Thursday, the battalion said in a complaint to Manipur police.

The incident took place at around 9.45am on Thursday when Meitei women staged a protest in Bishnupur against a plan by Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a Kuki organisation, to perform mass burial of 35 bodies of Kukis in a land in neighbouring Churachandpur district. Meiteis protested against the plan saying that it was a Meitei village and its residents were evicted by the Kukis during the violence, which began on May 3.

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The complaint lodged at Moirang police station by O. Premananda Singh of the 2nd IRB, Naranseina said that armed miscreants numbering about 500, who came in 40 to 45 vehicles and on foot overpowered the sentry of the main gate and quarter guard.

"They broke two of the doors of the battalion armed kote and looted a large number of arms, ammunition, munitions and other accessories from the battalion headquarter kote inside the quarters guard," said the complaint.

The complaint letter was made on Friday morning. There were reports of an arms loot incident on Thursday but Manipur police did not confirm the development.

The list of the looted arms and ammunition enclosed with the complaint furnished details of 290 rifles, 17 pistols, mortars, hand grenades, tear gas shells and some other equipment, which are used by the battalion. The list included one AK series rifle, three "Ghatak" rifles, 25 INSAS rifles, five MP5 rifles, 195 7.62mm SLR, 16 9mm pistols, 21 SMC carbines, three mortars, 74 detonators, 124 hand grenades, one LMG and others.

The complaint said 327 rounds of ammunition and 20 tear smoke shells were fired to control the mob.

Arms and ammunition, numbering about 4,000, were similarly looted allegedly by the Meitei armed miscreants in June. Security forces including the army and paramilitary forces launched combing operations but could recover only about 1,100 of them.

Kuki organisations fear that the weapons could be used to attack them.

More than 150 people have been killed and over 60,000 others have been left displaced due to the clashes between sections of the Meitei and the Kuki communities since May 3.