Protest in Moreh against arrest of top KNA leader

Protest erupted in Manipur’s border town, Moreh, on Saturday over the arrest of a top leader of Kuki National Army (KNA) by a joint team of the Assam Rifles and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the previous day.
The joint team, on June 6, arrested Kamginthang Gangte also known as K Guite from in Mandoi Veng, under Moreh police station of Tengnoupal district.
The joint team recovered a 9 mm pistol with a magazine and several incriminating documents from the top KNA leader who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the assassination of sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Chingtham Anand and the ambush that left three police commandos injured in Moreh on October 31, 2023.
Reports alleged Gangte was directly responsible for the sniper attack that killed the SDPO. The SDPO had succumbed to fatal injuries by a sniper bullet while overseeing a site for a temporary helipad at Eastern Ground in Moreh.
On the same day, a team of Manipur police commandos dispatched to Moreh as reinforcement team was also ambushed by suspected Kuki militants between Sinam and Bungyang villages, leading to injuries to three personnel.
The arrest of Kamginthang Gangte sparked protests in Moreh town where a mass rally was carried out on Saturday during a 24-hour total shutdown call given by the CSOs based in the border town,
The 24-hour total shutdown lasted till today at 12pm severely hit normal life including cross border trace activities in the border town.
Kuki Chief Association Moreh Block, Hill Tribal Council Moreh, Kuki Women Union & Human Rights Moreh Block, Kuki Students’ Organisation Moreh Block, Moreh Youth Club, and Kuki Khanglai Lawmpi Moreh jointly imposed the shutdown.
It was followed by a peaceful public mass rally in the morning. The slogan chanting rally claimed Kamginthang Gangte is a CSO leader while displaying a placard that read, “Don’t arrest CSO leader”.
While condemning the “arbitrary arrest” of Kamginthang Gangte, other placards read , “We want separate administration”, “Respect human rights”, “We want justice.” etc.
At the concluding part of the rally, a memorandum was submitted to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Balla through local MLA Letpao Haokip.
In the memorandum, the CSOs alleged that besides being a cadre of the armed group under Suspension of Operations (SoO), Kamginthang Gangte is a Kuki CSO leader and to appeal for his safe release following due verification.
Earlier, in a joint statement, the CSOs of Moreh alleged that the operation to arrest Gangte was carried out without following proper legal procedures.
The CSOs alleged that Lt Col Nitin Sharma of the 5 Assam Rifles once again displayed a biased attitude by arresting the accused without adhering to due process, suggesting that the act was motivated by personal interests.
Alleging that his actions threatened the fragile peace in the region, the CSOs demanded immediate transfer of Lt Col Sharma from Moreh to restore normalcy. “It is disheartening to witness such actions from the Assam Rifles personnel which disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the town and heighten public tensions,” the statement read.
The CSOs emphasized that arbitrary arrests must be avoided to ensure peaceful coexistence between security forces and civilians. They also voiced concern over the lack of action against those responsible for initiating the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur.