Water tanker meant for Manipur police at Moreh hijacked

This came a day after radical village volunteers of Tengnoupal district asked traders there not to sell essential items even water to Meitei state police commandos

Asem Bhakta Singh, Special Correspondent North East, Imphal: (Waari Singbul Network ) Miscreants on Thursday hijacked a private tanker meant of supplying potable water to the state police commandos deployed at the conflict-torn Moreh, giving a threat to the presence of the force at the border town.

This came a day after radical village volunteers of Tengnoupal district asked traders there not to sell essential items even water to “Meitei state police commandos.”

Though the miscreants freed the driver on Thursday night, the ill-fated vehicle, a pickup sized vehicle, remained traceless till the time of filing this report.

On the other hand, the government has made all arrangements to airlift essential commodities for the commandos by helicopters in the wake of the Kuki volunteers’ threat, official sources said.

Tengnoupal district village volunteers on Wednesday asked Moreh shopkeepers not to sell any items to Meitei commands from Saturday till they are removed from the area.

The volunteers, in a release, said the steps have been taken up to maintain “peace and harmony within our community and ensure the safety of all individuals.”

Taking into account the diktat, Tengnoupal district police convened a meeting with Assam Rifles officials and leaders of various communities sans Meitei at the complex of the paramilitary forces’ camp at Moreh bordering Myanmar on Thursday.

During the meeting, the police officials headed by SP Tengnoupal, Rahul Gupta appealed to the volunteers to withdraw their diktat issued to the Moreh traders not to sell commodities to the cops.

They said there will be no dearth of essential items for the commandos as the government has arranged to airlift the commodities by helicopters at the border town about 110 Km from Imphal.

Recently, security advisor of the state government, Kuldeip Singh stated that militants based in neighbouring Myanmar may be involved in the attacks on the commandos at the border town.

On the other hand, Like Minded Group (LMG), a charitable organisation of the state, on Friday donated Rs 50,000 to the commandos as an aid to procure essential commodities.