Emergency Shutdown Imposed in Moreh Town Over Arrest of Village Volunteer

An emergency shutdown has been imposed in the border town of Moreh in Tengnoupal district this afternoon following the arrest of a village volunteer by security forces.

The shutdown was enforced by the Kuki Women Union & Human Rights (KWU&HR), Moreh Block, at around 3:05 PM.

Angered over the alleged unjust arrest of the village volunteer, womenfolk stormed Moreh Police Station and tried to rescue him.

The arrested volunteer has been identified as Otkhothang Baite, also known as Othang Baite, a resident of Moreh.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it had arrested a prime accused in the 2023 killing of a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) in an attack by suspected Kuki militants in Manipur.

The accused, Otkhothang Baite alias Othang Baite, a resident of Moreh in Tengnoupal district of Manipur, was allegedly involved in a conspiracy behind the attack by members of a suspected Kuki militant group on a district police team at a playground. The militants had opened fire on the police team on October 31, 2023, during the peak of ethnic violence in the northeastern state.

Moreh SDPO Chingtham Anandakumar Singh was hit by a bullet in his stomach during the attack and later succumbed to his injuries. Moreh Police had registered a case, which was taken over by the NIA in March 2024.

During the investigation, the NIA found that the conspiracy was aimed at creating terror in Manipur. The anti-terror agency had earlier this month arrested another accused, Kamginthang Gangte, in connection with the case.

The investigation in case RC-02/2024/NIA/IMP is ongoing.

However, the womenfolk refused to accept the NIA’s allegations, stating that the central agency was trying to use Othang Baite as a scapegoat for its incompetence.

At the time of filing this report, the arrested individual had not been released, and the womenfolk had not stopped their agitation. No untoward incident had been reported so far.