Imphal: In Kangpokpi district of Manipur, police have issued a stern warning to their personnel, directing them not to attend a meeting organized by a Kuki organization scheduled for April 30.
The directive came in response to a notice issued on April 18 by the Kangchup Area Protection and Development Committee a group claiming affiliation with the Kuki Inpi, the apex body of the Kuki community.
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The notice, signed by the committee’s secretary Minlen Lhuouvum and chairman Sasat Kipgen, called on Kuki village chiefs and Kuki personnel from the Manipur Police, Manipur Rifles (MR), and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) to attend the meeting at K Ponlen village, stating that attendance was a sign of loyalty to their land.
The notice also claimed that the meeting followed discussions with Kuki militant groups.
However, Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police issued a counter-notice on April 21, labeling the committee a “fictitious” organization. The police warned all civil police, MR, and IRB personnel from Kuki villages that attending the meeting would constitute “gross service misconduct” and would result in strict disciplinary action.
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Meanwhile, the Manipur Police reported a significant increase in vehicle thefts amid ongoing ethnic tensions. Between April 16 and 20, authorities recovered 75 stolen four-wheelers and seven two-wheelers across the state. The recoveries were made during a special drive targeting vehicles using illegal tinted films.
In addition, on the night of April 21, four members of the banned People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) a Meitei insurgent outfit were arrested in Imphal East district.
Three of the arrested were linked to the abduction of two individuals, who were subsequently rescued by the police.
In a related operation beyond Manipur, police in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya arrested Khundongbam Herojit Meitei, finance secretary of the Manipur-based militant group Kangleipak Communist Party-People’s War Group (KCP-PWG), from a rented house in Byrnihat on April 21.
According to Ri-Bhoi’s Senior Superintendent of Police Vivekanand Singh Rathore, the arrest followed intelligence inputs regarding the presence of a wanted militant leader in the Assam-Meghalaya border region.
During interrogation, Meitei admitted to collecting funds on behalf of the KCP-PWG. Police seized two mobile phones and other incriminating materials from his possession.
The KCP-PWG leader, previously arrested in Manipur for illegal arms possession and later in Dimapur district of Nagland in a drug trafficking case, had been evading authorities by hiding in border areas following a recent crackdown on insurgent outfits.