Bombs, arms and explosives, including three unexploded improvised rockets, were found from two places in strife-torn Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Monday, police said.
Police said that suspected bombs were discovered around 10.30am under a bridge near the controversial Anglo-Kuki War Memorial Gate along Tiddim Road, under the jurisdiction of Churachandpur Police Station.
They said that bomb experts from the 36 Assam Rifles, along with district police, safely defused the suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at around 3pm the same day.
Police said nine IEDs, one detonator of non-electric commercial and a safety fuse were recovered.
The Anglo-Kuki War Memorial Gate has been a focal point of the start of the present unrest in Manipur. The Kuki community has alleged that unknown miscreants from the Meitei community attempted to burn down the gate on May 3 last year, which led to flare up in tensions and clashes between the two sides.
On December 19, 2022, the Manipur Public Works Department issued a written directive to the then Churachandpur district commissioner to remove the illegally constructed Anglo-Kuki War Centenary Gate, which was erected on December 21, 2019, along Tiddim Road. However, the district administration has yet to remove the controversial gate.
In the second incident on Monday, a joint combing operation conducted by the 19 Garhwal Rifles, 58 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), A-115 Border Security Force (BSF), and Churachandpur district police recovered arms, explosives, and ammunition, including three unexploded improvised rockets, at Thangjing Hill near Teijang village, Churachandpur.
The district police said that the seizures followed information from local sources about a likely arms and ammunition cache in the forested areas of the Thangjing Hills, approximately 2.8 km west of the Kangvai Company Operating Base near Teijang village.
During the joint operation, which began around 7am at Teijang village, security forces recovered 45 low-grade explosive sticks (125 grams each) totaling approximately 5.625 kg; 14 detonators; three improvised rockets (one 5.4 feet long and two 4.5 feet long); one .315 rifle with a magazine; four pistols with magazines; six “Pompi” (local mortars) along with some ammunition.
Earlier on September 7, armed militants suspected to be Kuki militants allegedly launched two improvised rockets from the Thangjing Hills toward Moirang, Bishnupur district, during the ongoing Manipur crisis. This attack killed a 72-year-old man, RK Rabei, and injured five others.
