Manipur arms-looting case: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against five people in a case of looting of arms and ammunition from Manipur Police personnel in May 2023, said a CBI spokesperson. The chargesheet was filed before the court of chief judicial magistrate, Kamrup (Metro) in Assam's Guwahati.
The CBI had taken over the case from the Manipur Police (Heingang police station in Imphal East) on June 9, 2023, in compliance with the notifications issued by the Manipur and central governments under the DSPE Act, 1946.
Names of the chargesheeted accused:
The accused who have been chargesheeted by CBI are: Moirangthem Anand Singh, Athokpam Kajit alias Kishorjit, Loukrakpam Michael Mangangcha alias Michael, Konthoujam Romojit Meitei alias Romojit and Keisham Johnson alias Jhonson.
What is the case?
According to the FIR, the case pertains to a mob storming into the Manipur Police Training College's (MPTC) Pangei complex on May 4, 2023, and allegedly looting a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the armoury during an ethnic conflict in the northeastern state. "As alleged in the FIR, a mob stormed into the Manipur Police Training College (MPTC) Pangei complex on 04.05.2023 and looted away a huge number of arms and ammunition from the MPTC armoury during the ethnic conflict which broke out in Manipur," the spokesperson added. Further investigation is underway.
Manipur violence
The northeastern state has been rocked by ethnic violence since May 3 last year when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for ST status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts. More than 180 people have been killed and several hundreds injured in it so far.
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