In yet another tragic incident, a police officer was killed in Manipur’s Moreh on Tuesday after he was shot at by suspected militants. The incident occurred when Moreh Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chingtham Anand was inspecting a newly constructed helipad at the Eastern ground in the border town.

Reports stated that the SDPO was taken to a primary health centre in Moreh where he succumbed to his injury. The police officials have launched an operation to apprehend the militants.

Speaking about the matter, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that he is saddened by the cold-blooded killing of Anand. The Chief Minister conveyed that he is deeply saddened by the cold-blooded killing of SDPO Chingtham Anand, OC Moreh police this morning. He added that Anand’s dedication to serve and protect the people will always be remembered. He further ensured that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

Reports stated that the incident comes days after members of several civil society organisations, especially those based in Moreh, demanded the removal of state forces from the border town.

The northeastern state of Manipur has witnessed widescale violence after clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town. The violence erupted after tribal groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community.

The violence gradually spread across the state, where ethnic fault lines run deep. Nearly 175 people have died and more than 50,000 have been displaced in the state since then. Furthermore, hundreds of homes have been burnt, businesses lost, studies affected, places of worship burnt to a cinder, and the state has lived without internet for months.

Officials further stated that mobs looted 5669 types of arms and around 500,000 rounds of ammunition from police stations and armouries. Reports said that only around 1300 of them were recovered until the first week of October.

Hundreds of students took to the streets in Manipur’s capital, Imphal to protest against the brutal murder of two students by suspected armed men. The students demanded justice for the victims. According to reports, photos of two students, who apparently have been decapitated, have gone viral across the social media platforms.

The protesting students tried to march towards Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s residence, after which security forces used tear gas shells and smoke bombs in an effort to disperse the crowd. Reportedly, multiple students were injured and they were hurried to the hospital for medical treatment.  

The photos that have gone viral show two students, a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old boy, sitting at the grassy compound in what appears to be a makeshift jungle camp of an armed group.The girl is seen in a white shirt and the boy in a checked shirt holding a backpack. Behind them, two armed men were clearly visible. 

In the next viral photo, their bodies are seen slumped on the ground. According to reports, as the girl was a minor, officials concerned to the matter are looking into the allegations of rape, before she was murdered. 

Meanwhile, N Biren Singh led Manipur government has asked the people of the northeastern state to exercise restraint and allow authorities to investigate the kidnapping and killing of both the students. In a statement issued by the secretariat of Chief Minister N Biren Singh late on Monday night, the state government asserted that the case has been already handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

In addition, the government also assured the public that swift and decisive action will be taken against all those involved in the crime. The statement further underlined that the government was committed to ensuring justice for the murdered students and severe punishment on any perpetrators found responsible for this heinous crime.

A collective of Meitei women, Meira Paibis on Friday carried out sit-in demonstrations across five districts of Imphal Valley in order to protest against the alleged gangrape of a 37-year-old woman in Churachandpur on May 3, when the ongoing ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state.

According to reports, the survivor alleged that she was gang-raped by a group of men while fleeing from her burning house in Khumujamba Leikai in Churachandpur. Speaking on the matter, the police officials concerned said that an FIR was lodged with Bishnupur women police station on August 9 and then the matter was forwarded to Churachandpur police station for further investigation.

In protest against the harrowing incident, Meira Paibis, the collective of Meitei women staged sit-in demonstrations in Keisampat, Uripok and Singjamei areas in Imphal West district and Kongba and Khurai in Imphal East district, reports stated. Similar protests were also carried out in Bishnupur, Kakching and Thoubal districts.

The ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state on May 3 and has been continuing for the past three months, claiming the lives of over 160 people and leaving thousands homeless. On Wednesday, a 37-year-old woman approached the police in Manipur’s Bishnupur with a complaint that she was sexually assaulted on 3 May in Churachandpur district. Reportedly, a zero FIR has now been lodged against the alleged sexual assault of the 37-year-old woman. As per the police officials, the matter has been transferred to the Churachandpur police station. Furthermore, the police have registered a case of gang rape, assault or criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman with common intention against unknown Kuki miscreants.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech in Lok Sabha on Thursday said that both the Centre and the state are working together to restore peace in the violence-hit northeastern state. He added that he wants to assure the people of the northeast that the entire country is with them. He further expressed that northeast is a part of their hearts and Manipur will soon witness new development and confidence. On the other hand, the opposition has slammed the Prime Minister for speaking only a few minutes on Manipur violence.