Manipur violence: CBI charge sheets seven in Bishnupur armoury loot case

 

New Delhi: The CBI has filed a charge sheet against seven accused in connection with the looting of arms and ammunition from the Bishnupur police armoury during the Manipur ethnic violence last year, officials said on Sunday.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently filed its charge sheet before the court of chief judicial magistrate in Kamrup (Metro) in Assam’s Guwahati.

The accused named in the charge sheet are Laishram Prem Singh, Khumukcham Dhiren alias Thapkpa, Moirangthem Anand Singh, Athokpam Kajit alias Kishorjit, Loukrakpam Michael Mangangcha alias Michael, Konthoujam Romojit Meitei alias Romojit, and Keisham Johnson alias Johnson.

On August 3 last year, a mob looted more than 300 weapons and 19,800 rounds of ammunition from two rooms of the 2nd Indian Reserve Battalion headquarters at Naranseina in Bishnupur.

Around 9,000 bullets of different calibres, an AK series assault rifle, three ‘Ghaatak’ rifles, 195 self-loading rifles, five MP-5 guns, 16.9 mm pistols, 25 bulletproof jackets, 21 carbines, and 124 hand grenades, among other things, were looted by the mob, according to officials.

A crowd had gathered there to march towards Churachandpur where tribals were planning to carry out a mass burial of their people killed in the ethnic clashes that broke out in Manipur on May 3 last year.

As many as 219 people have lost their lives and several hundred have been injured since the ethnic violence broke out after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute a little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.