Imphal: Security forces have arrested five people following separate violent outbreaks across Manipur. Additional Director General of Police Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo confirmed the arrests on October 20. The operations targeted those responsible for deadly attacks in Thoubal and Khongban Sanurok.
Violence erupted at 11.30 pm Sunday in Khangabok village. A concert near the Thoubal police station turned into a riot between Meitei and Meitei Pangal communities. Rocks flew. Houses burned. One person died. Police searched 146 homes in Sangaiyumpham and Cherapur on Tuesday. They verified 300 residents, detained four suspects, and formally arrested two. Officers also seized a double-barrel gun for forensic testing.
Separately, three men face charges for an attack at Khongban Sanurok that left three dead and three injured. Officers from Manipur Police, CRPF, and CoBRA raided S Phailenkot. Two suspects confessed. The haul was massive. Security teams recovered 12 firearms, including AK-47s, M16s, sniper rifles, and a handmade rocket launcher. They also found 1,099 rounds of ammunition, a Pompi bomb, Chinese grenades, uniforms, and poppy seeds.
The crackdown extended to the Sinai Camp, a site under the Suspension of Operations agreement. Security teams detained 17 people whose identities failed to match Kuki National Organisation and Kuki National Front records. Investigators found missing magazines and ammunition during the search. Director General of Police Mukesh Singh visited the Khongban Sanurok site to oversee the response.
Lhatoo demanded public cooperation. He told residents, "remain calm, refrain from taking the law into their own hands and avoid circulating unverified information or rumours on social media." Authorities continue to probe the exact triggers for both incidents.
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