Imphal, Oct 5 (IANS) In a significant achievement, the Manipur Police recovered 80 per cent of the 20 sophisticated weapons looted on October 2 by a mob from the Ukhrul Police station in the Ukhrul district, a senior police officer said on Saturday.
Inspector General of Police I.K. Muivah said that 80 per cent of the 20 sophisticated weapons looted by the mob have already been recovered, and intense search efforts were underway to recover the remaining arms and ammunition.
On October 2, villagers of the Hunphun and Hungpung villages in Ukhrul district had engaged in violent clashes over the disputed boundary of their villages, leading to the death of four persons, including a Manipur Rifles jawan and injuring 29 others.
Police officers said that residents of the two villages participated in the ‘Swachhata Abhiyan’ (cleanliness drive), organised by Thawaijao Hungpung Young Students’ Organisation (THYSO), on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti but suddenly engaged in clashes.
During the clashes, some youths started firing from their guns, killing two villagers and a Manipur Rifles jawan on the spot and injuring 30 others, one of them succumbed to his injuries at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal on October 3.
Soon after the clashes, a mob stormed the Ukhrul police station and looted a large cache of arms and ammunition from the police station.
The mob managed to decamp with 20 weapons and a large quantity of different types of ammunition. The looted arms include 9 mm pistols, INSAS rifles, AK-47 rifles, 9 mm carbines, SLR and Sten gun.
Immediately after the two incidents, IGP Muivah along with Deputy Inspector General Worngam Ningshen and Superintendent of Police Ningshem Vashum were deputed to Ukhrul to assist the district administration in restoring law and order.
Along with the state security forces, BSF and Assam Rifles officers and jawans were also deployed in the troubled town district.
Intense search efforts were made by the combined teams of security forces and they recovered the looted weapons.
“With the cooperation of the leaders of two villages – Hunphun and Hungpung, various Civil Society Organisations and local leaders, the situation in Ukhrul is now under full control. They also helped a lot in with the recovery of the looted arms,” IG Muivah said.
–IANS
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