Asem Bhakta Singh, Special Correspondent North East
Imphal: (Waari Singbul Network) A large number of arms and ammunition were looted by a fierce mob from an India Reserve Battalion Post (IRB) at Imphal East district’s Chingarel Tejpur on Tuesday night around 9.
Around the same time, in sentry post firing when a group of people attempted to storm the complex of the high security Manipur Police Training College (MPRC) in the same district, killing one person and injuring two.
The incidents came amid the stepped up search operations by security forces and state police to recover the over 5000 arms and lakhs of ammunition looted by miscreants from police armouries both the hill and valley districts since the ethnic strife unfolded on on May 3 last year.
Around 1800 of the looted weapons have been recovered till date, official sources said.
Though senior officers in the police apparatus confirmed the looting of arms from the IRB post, they remained tight lipped on the figure.
Nevertheless, sources in the police, confided that around 19 arms and large number of bullets were snatched after over powering the post.
The looted arms include four AK 47 rifles, five Self Loading Rifles (SLRs), two Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles ,six .303 rifles, and two Light Machine Guns (LMGs).
Another group of people, around the same time, attempted to barge in on the premises of MPTC complex at Pangei. The sentry duty personnel belonging to Central paramilitary forces, in a bid to control the situation, opened fire, injuring Okram Santosh (24) of Pangei Okram Leikei and Kh Robert Tongbram Rex.
Santosh breathed his last on the way to JNIMS hospital here, while the other two, who are said to be out of danger, are undergoing treatment at the state-run hospital. Santosh’s body has been deposited at the mortuary of the hospital for autopsy.
Meanwhile, locals of Pangei and surrounding areas formed a Joint Action Committee (JAC) against Santosh’s killing.
Alleging the Central forces of committing excesses, they demanded the government to remove the forces form the state and pay compensation for killing and injuring the locals and damaging public properties by the forces.
